The Threat of the Ruby
by Peonywinx
Summary: A new menace is threatening the 31st century. The Legion is trying to track her down, but when the villain starts kidnapping heroes from the past, they must team up with the Titans, W.I.T.C.H., Batman, and Batgirl to stop her. But there's a price to pay..
1. Prophecy Mystery

**THE THREAT OF THE RUBY**

**Introduction**

_This story is set in the 31st century, the time of the Legion. It takes place one year after the second and final season of the Legion of Superheroes. During that time, Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl have fallen in love and become a couple (don't get excited – no wedding's been proposed yet – but they _are _boyfriend-girlfriend). For details on that, wait for the prequel – _One Year Before_ – which will be written a little later. Also, Braniac 5 (or Brainy, as his fellow Legionnaires call him) has returned and, though he is no longer a robot, he still possesses twelfth-level intelligence and has some new tricks up his sleeve (for more on that, wait for the prequel). The original evil Braniac 1.0 has been defeated as well (it's all in – you guessed it – the prequel, coming out later)._

_Coming back to the present (or future), Saturn Girl was elected Legion leader some time back for her amazing defeat of Braniac 1.0 (see prequel =), and has held that post ever since. She's proven to be a proficient tactician and combatant, a perfect combination for the leader of the Legion of Superheroes. She's also picked up a new power – force field generation – after Esper invaded her mind when she was captured by the Fatal Five and the Legion of Supervillians (more on that in the prequel). Don't worry, she's made a full recovery, gaining control over her newest ability._

_Now pay close attention to this bit of information, because it gets a little complicated, but it is absolutely essential to the story. There are prophecies in the Official Library of the United Planets (Phantom Girl came across them while searching for any leads on how to defeat Braniac 1.0), and some refer to the "Protector of the Universe" (I know, powerful title). The prophecies were made by mystic seers and monks who lived on an unknown planet at the beginning of time. The prophetic scrolls were discovered on the ruins of the world by a man named Midas, and he kept them and passed them on to his children. For generations, the descendants of Midas kept and preserved the prophecies. When the United Planets were formed, Midas' last remaining living descendant, a woman named Michella, donated the scrolls to the newly-established government in the hopes that it would help secure the future. The scrolls ended up in the official library._

_When Phantom Girl found the prophecies, she didn't think it was important until one phrase caught her eye – "…a boy from Braal, a boy from Winath, and a girl from Titan, the moon of Saturn, shall form a group of specially-gifted individuals which will be known as the Legion of Superheroes." That caught her attention, and she read the three scrolls concerned with the Legion. She was extremely surprised when the scrolls named Saturn Girl as the Protector of the Universe, the one destined to end the threat of Braniac 1.0 forever. Phantom Girl relayed the message to the Legion. But there was one more detail – "…but the task shall be accomplished at the risk of the death of the Protector, for the effort shall be great, and leave her empty and drained of energy. When this comes to pass, only the Fates of the Universe will decide whether the Protector shall live or die. And if she does survive, the Protector's job will still not be completed, for after that, a greater danger shall emerge."_

_Needless to say, Saturn Girl survived – or there wouldn't be a story. But that passage created an atmosphere of tension and fear after the victory as the entire Legion held its breath while Fate decided what would happen to Saturn Girl. When Saturn Girl recovered, Lightning Lad confessed his love and the two paired off. Then the newly-elected Legion leader commissioned Phantom Girl to search through the prophetic scrolls for any clues on this mysterious new danger._

_That is about all that happened in the one-year interval between Season 2 and this story. Maybe I'm getting a bit far-fetched on the whole Protector of the Universe/prophecy thing, but hey, what fun is a story if you can't elaborate on it and make it suit your fantasies, right?_

_One more thing: all the info has been taken from the TV shows and animated series, not the original comics (except for the Legion of Superheroes – I brought in some of the elements of the comic book for their story, such as Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl's romance)._

_So that's all for now. Enjoy the story, because it's about to begin. This is where the past (or future past) ends and the story begins._

**********

**Chapter 1**

"'…but the one who is red and calls herself "Queen" shall suffer defeat at the hands of the Protector of the Universe, but shall come back…' arghh! This doesn't make any sense!" Phantom Girl exclaimed, slamming her fist on the table in frustration.

The Official Library of the United Planets was a neat, orderly place. Books were stacked according to type and genre, but there was also a cross-reference index for listings of time, authors, and other means of classification. But even all that order could not help Phantom Girl when it came to interpreting prophecies. Even the librarian, Madam Yotna, didn't understand the prophetic scrolls, and she had been here for 40 years, and supposedly kept a brief summary of every book's and scroll's contents in her head.

Just then Phantom Girl's Legion ring and comlink beeped, and a holographic Saturn Girl materialized out of it.

"Have you found anything yet?" said the hologram.

"No, and I'm getting sick just looking at the prophecies", Phantom Girl responded. "Look, I've been checking these scrolls for clues to future dangers on and off for six months, but there's nothing – nothing except an obscure passage about this red lady queen."

Saturn Girl's hologram sighed. "I'm sorry, Phantom Girl, but you have to keep looking. The universe may depend on it."

"I know, and that's what makes me guilty every time I try to quit." Phantom Girl started pacing the room. "But seriously, Saturn Girl", she continued, "I'm getting really tired of flipping through vague prophecies. Can't somebody else take over for a while?"

Saturn Girl sighed again. "No", she replied, "because you get diplomatic immunity because of your status as the daughter of the President of the United Planets. If anyone else tried to read the scrolls, the Science Police would be asking all sorts of awkward questions."

"I could ask my mom to tell them not to."

"Phantom Girl, do you really think that would work? You know your mom, and you know the Science Police."

Phantom Girl sighed. "Yeah, and trying to persuade them to mind their own business is about as difficult as turning Emerald Empress good." She stopped as an idea hit her. "Maybe I could ask my mom to let me take the scrolls back to HQ, though. I'll just tell her it's for 'diplomatic security' or something. Then at least I don't have to spend all my free time with the spooky librarian."

"Do whatever you can, Phantom Girl", Saturn Girl said. "And it would be nice to have you back with us. I'll contact you again soon."

And the holographic image vanished. Phantom Girl gathered up the three relevant scrolls and ventured off to find her mother.

**********

On Station 2, abroad a Legion cruiser, the leader of the Legion of Superheroes was shaking her head with despair.

"I don't understand any of this!" Saturn Girl exclaimed. The Legion leader was tired and her face was drawn. Lightning Lad put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

"It'll be all right, Saturn Girl", he assured her. Saturn Girl leaned her head wearily on Lightning Lad's arm.

"Why me, Garth?" she asked, slipping unconsciously into addressing Lightning Lad by his real name. "Why me? I never asked for any of this, and I don't think I'm ready for it." She walked over to the window and gazed at the infinite space outside.

"We've been searching for a lead on the "new danger" for months now, and nothing's come up. I feel like giving up."

"That doesn't sound like the Saturn Girl I know", Lightning Lad said, joining her. "Why don't you get some sleep?" he suggested. "You've been up for two days in a row, and you're tired. You need to rest."

"Maybe you're right." Saturn Girl flashed her lover a small smile. "Can you take over for a while? I think I will take a nap."

"No problem", replied Lightning Lad.

"Thanks."

Timber Wolf came into the control room just as Saturn Girl exited it. He greeted her with a small nod, then turned to Lightning Lad.

"You got her to get some sleep, I take it?" he asked in his deep, husky voice.

"Yeah", said Lightning Lad.

"Have you told her yet?"

Lightning Lad looked uncomfortable. Timber Wolf sighed.

"You can't keep the truth from her forever, Lightning Lad", he reproved.

"I know, I just…" Lightning Lad started. "I'm just trying to protect her."

"Don't let your feelings get in the way of what's supposed to happen", Timber Wolf warned. "And don't underestimate Saturn Girl either. She can take care of herself. She'll do what's right."

"That's what worries me", Lightning Lad said.

"If I were you, I'd tell her when she wakes up." Timber Wolf left the room.

Lightning Lad, alone in the room, took out an old scroll from its hiding place below the control panel and unrolled it and read, "'…and this battle shall mean the certain death of the Protector, whether it is the original Protector, if she survived, or her successor, who would have been chosen by the Fates after the original's death, and no force in the universe shall have the power to bring her back.'"

**********

On Earth, back in time about a thousand years, five young teenage girls were sitting in Pizza Parlour in Heatherfield. They were laughing and talking as they ate their pepperoni pizza. One had red, bob cut hair and big brown eyes. She said little, and her name was Will. Another had wavy brown hair and merry blue-green eyes - Irma. She seemed to be talking the most, along with a sweet-faced Chinese girl with long pigtails: Hay Lin. A fourth girl was African-American with short black hair, and she was called Taranee. The fifth girl, Cornelia, had long blonde hair and deep, soulful blue eyes. She had a faraway look and seemed to be thinking of something.

"So, any news from Meridian?" asked Irma.

"Yep. Elyon's little kingdom is thriving, now that Phobos and Nerissa are gone", replied Will.

"I wonder how Caleb's doing", Cornelia mused, referring to her boyfriend from Meridian.

"Stop worrying, Cornelia", said Taranee. "I'm sure he's just fine. I mean, it's not like he loved Nerissa or anything."

"I know, but she was his mom", Cornelia said. "I don't know what I'd feel like if my mom ended up trapped inside a jewel for eternity."

"Girl, your mom is so nowhere near as evil as Nerissa", confirmed Irma. She took a bite out of her pizza, then made a face. "Hey, does anyone know what they put in the pepperoni?"

As Will walked home with her boyfriend, Matthew Olsen, she contemplated all that had happened lately. She'd barely moved to Heatherfield when Hay Lin's grandmother, Yan Lin, told them of Kandrakar and the Veil (search W.I.T.C.H. for more details). Then the Heart of Kandrakar, a glowing pink jewel with awesome power had been entrusted to her, and she became its Keeper. It wasn't too long after that that Phobos, evil prince of Meridian, started his conquest of the Metaworld in earnest and set his heart on finding his sister, Elyon, the true heir to the throne of Meridian, and draining her of her formidable powers. He'd sent his henchman, Cedric, a nobleman with the ability to turn into a giant green snake-lizard to find and bring Elyon back to Meridian. Cedric effectively poisoned Elyon's mind against Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin (collectively known as W.I.T.C.H.) and brought her to Meridian. Fortunately, W.I.T.C.H., after a series of battles, managed to convince Elyon that her brother was evil and only wanted her power. With Elyon's help, they defeated Phobos and put him in prison.

But then Nerissa arrived. Former Guardian of Kandrakar and one-time Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar, she'd been corrupted by the Heart's power. The Oracle of Kandrakar took the Heart away from Nerissa and entrusted it to Cassidy, the former Water Guardian. Nerissa caught up to Cassidy and killed her, for which the Oracle imprisoned her. Many years later, she escaped and, disguised as the Mage, a powerful member of the Council of Kandrakar, became Caleb's mother. Then, when Phobos was defeated, she took center stage and collected the Heart of Meridian (Elyon) and the Heart of Zamballa. She joined the two into one jewel which she named the Seal of Nerissa. Then she rounded up all the former Guardians (Halinor, Yan Lin, and Kadma) and resurrected Cassiddy. Giving them all back their youth, she hypnotized them and then raged war against W.I.T.C.H. After another series of pitched battles, W.I.T.C.H. finally won and Nerissa vanished into the jewel that had once contained Elyon's power. Now, things were peaceful again.

Or so the Guardians thought.

"Will? What are you thinking about?" inquired Matt.

"Nothing important, just W.I.T.C.H.y stuff", she replied. "And I – oh!" she gasped, as the crystal that was the Heart of Kandrakar began to glow and hum. Then, as suddenly as it had happened, it stopped, and Will's legs buckled from underneath her as Matt caught her.

"Will! Are you all right?" he asked.

Will got to her feet and stared at the Heart. "Yeah, I'm fine. Something weird just happened."

"Why did the Heart glow like that?"

"I have no idea", Will answered, staring at the crystal on her palm.

**********

Beast Boy crept into Cyborg's room to get a video game. The other Titans were sleeping, as it was still early, and Titans' Tower was quiet and peaceful. At least, it was, until Cyborg woke up to find Beast Boy in his room.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled. "What are you doing in my room? I told you after Mega Monkeys 4 (for the reader's benefit, the last time Beast Boy entered Cyborg's room was to play Mega Monkeys 4 on Cyborg's high-tech computer. Unfortunately, he accidentally slipped the disk into Cyborg's recharger, infecting Cyborg's circuits with a virus that made him go berserk) to stay out of my room."

"Relax, Cyborg", said the confident Beast Boy. "I just came in to get a video game to play on the main computer."

"And would that video game happen to be Xtreme Street Racing number 6?"

"Well, uh, technically, it's mine…" Beast Boy began.

"Technically, I paid for it, and you still owe me half, so technically, it's still half mine", Cyborg declared. "And this co-owner says…NO YOU CAN'T PLAY WITH IT UNTIL YOU'VE PAID ME BACK MY MONEY!"

"Relax, Cy, I'll pay you back." Beast Boy frowned. "Eventually."

"OW!" yelled Beast Boy as Cyborg kicked him out.

"Arguing again this early?" Robin, the leader of the Teen Titans, was standing in the corridor with Starfire, who had just recently become Robin's girlfriend as well as his teammate (recent for them, ancient history for the Legion).

"I do not understand all this shouting and fighting so early in the day", said the puzzled Tamaranian (Starfire is from another planet – and the princess there!). "Is it an Earth custom?"

"No, Star", answered Robin. "Cyborg and Beast Boy have just changed the time of their arguments."

Just then the Titan's alarm sounded. "Trouble!" said Robin. Cyborg burst out from his room and joined them on the way to the tower's hangar. Raven was already there.

Robin started the engine of the T-ship and the aircraft took off.

When the T-ship landed, the Titans saw the citizens of downtown Jump City being terrorized by a woman who was hovering in mid-air on a shiny red hoverboard. A woman with a golden and red scepter who was wearing red from head to toe.

**********

In far away Gotham City, a caped figure with a bat-shaped mask glides through the dark night sky. Batman? No. Not the Dark Knight of Gotham City, but his sidekick, Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, teenage daughter of Commissioner Jim Gordon, Gotham's lead cop. Batgirl made her way through the streets of Gotham until she came to Wayne Manor, home of billionaire Bruce Wayne, head of Wayne Corporations, and also known to the people of Gotham (although they don't know it) as Batman.

Arriving at Wayne Manor, Batgirl sought out the entrance to the Batcave and entered there. As she expected, she found Batman in front of a computer, checking through files on villains they had encountered.

"…the Joker's in prison, and so is Clayface. The Penguin was only released two days ago, not enough time to be causing all this damage, Dr. Strange is in the asylum, and this isn't Phosphorus' kind of thing. That only leaves Bane, the Riddler, and Poison Ivy."

"Batman", Batgirl called.

"Batgirl", Batman acknowledged. "Did you find anything?"

"I've looked around the entire city, but no, I don't have anything for you."

"There's got to be something about this mysterious new villain somewhere." Batman turned away from the computer screen to look through some paperwork.

"Could it be any of our old villains come back?" Batgirl asked.

"Only three possible candidates fit the things that have been happening", Batman answered. "The Riddler, Bane, and your old friend Poison Ivy."

"Red?" asked Batgirl, startled. "She hasn't been a problem for months." Batgirl's former friend, Piera Corpola, became the evil Poison Ivy when a vat of chemical plant matter fell on her and mutated her into a part-plant villain.

"That's enough time to plan a wreckage of this scale as it has been happening around Gotham City." Batman stopped flipping through pages and looked at his sidekick. "Are you sure you don't have anything at all that might help us track down the person who's causing all this?"

"Only that Gotham's not the only city that's been hit", Batgirl responded. "The same damage has been seen as far away as Jump City."

Now it was Batman's turn to look startled. "Jump City?" he repeated. "That's where Dick moved to two years ago."

"Robin moved to Jump City when he left Gotham?" Batgirl inquired, surprised. "Funny, I thought he went to New York or even Metropolis."

"Batgirl, this is what we've been looking for!" exclaimed Batman.

"It is?" said an astonished Batgirl.

"Yes." Batman turned quickly to the computer and ran something through a search engine. "Here it is. Dick Grayson moved to Jump City and gained residence on September 19th two years ago. But as of today, he is not registered on any census." Batman pulled another file off the computer. "'Robin the Boy Wonder Moves to Jump City'", he read. "Batgirl, listen to this. 'The Boy Wonder, Robin, formerly sidekick to the legendary Batman in Gotham City, has taken up residence in Jump City. He, along with four others with superhuman abilities, have formed a group called the "Teen Titans." They are now Jump City's protectors, and, though the team is only a few weeks old, they are already famous in Jump City. One man was even quoted as saying, "Metropolis has its Superman, Gotham has its Batman, and we have the Titans.' This is dated 22 months ago." Batman paused, then said, "Here's another one. 'Teen Titans Restore America's Freedom. The five members of the Teen Titans saved the Fourth of July and restored order when the British psycho Mad Mod declared the American Revolution was a hoax and claimed Jump City for Britain.' And then there's 'Teen Titans Save the World. The members of the Teen Titans (which are now a large group including the original Titans, Titans East, and an entire horde of honorary Titans) saved the world from the Brotherhood of Evil's control.'"

"Wow, the world. Our boy's been busy", Batgirl remarked.

"There's one more. This one's pretty recent", Batman said. "Teen Titans Reveal Commander's Devious Plan. Teen Titans Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy, while vacationing in Tokyo, Japan, exposed Commander Wehara Daiso's deceitful scheme to produce villains and then catch them himself for the fame and recognition.'"

"He did all that in just two years?" Batgirl was amazed.

"And more", Batman confirmed. "Batgirl, this could be the clue we're looking for. If we fly to Jump City, Robin and the Titans might be able to give us some news. If we work together, we could find out who's been wreaking havoc and stop him."

"Or her", Batgirl said absently. "But hello, teenage daughter here. How am I supposed to go to Jump City with you? Bruce Wayne could just say that he's going on a business trip or something, but Barbara Gordon would have to deal with Daddy."

"I'll think of something", Batman assured her. "The one thing I know is that we both have to go to Jump City."

_**A/N: Whew! And I thought I had a busy life! I bet you're all on tenterhooks now waiting to find out what happens to the four groups. And I'm sure you're especially freaked out by the prophecy's "certain death of the Protector" thing. But I wouldn't advise skipping any chapters because you'd miss out on the action – as well as some pretty important details. So if you're tempted, remind yourself that this is a complicated plot and that if you skip, you won't know what the heck's going on. Do feel free to review and tell me what you think.**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_Legion of Superheroes__**, **__Teen Titans__**, **__W.I.T.C.H.__**,**_** or **_Batman__**.**_** This story is just for fun and a chance to improve my writing skills.**


	2. The Plot Thickens

**Chapter 2**

"Saturn Girl, there's something I need to tell you."

Lightning Lad was looking rather apprehensive as he entered Saturn Girl's room.

"What is it, Lightning Lad?" Saturn Girl looked up from the reports she had been looking through.

Lightning Lad produced an old, yellow scroll from behind his back. "This", he said.

"The prophecy?" Saturn Girl asked eagerly. "So Phantom Girl found something!"

"Er –", Lightning Lad began. He cleared his throat. "Well, actually, I found it some time ago."

"And you're waiting until now to tell me because…" Saturn Girl trailed off and looked at Lightning Lad sternly.

"You'll understand when you read it", Lightning Lad promised, handing her the scroll."

Saturn Girl raised an eyebrow but said nothing and began reading instead. When she finished, she looked solemn. Getting up, she said, "This is even more serious than I thought. History and the entire universe are in danger of being erased."

Lightning Lad was dumbfounded. "Uh…Saturn Girl? Didn't you see that part?"

"What part?"

"You know…" Lightning Lad made a gesture. "The part where this battle spells certain doom for the Protector – ah, you?"

"Oh yes, I read it." Saturn Girl dismissed her pronounced death sentence with a wave of her hand.

"And that doesn't bother you?" Lightning Lad was incredulous. "At all?"

"Of course it does, Lightning Lad", Saturn Girl replied. "But I've got more important things to think about."

"Saturn Girl, you're going to die. It says so right there." Lightning Lad pointed at the scroll. "Aren't you going to worry about your life just a little?"

"Lightning Lad, the whole universe is in jeopardy", said Saturn Girl. "What's my life in comparison to an entire galaxy? Let alone the universe? And if I refuse to fight this new threat and live, I'll die anyway. At least this way, we have a chance."

Lightning Lad didn't answer. Then:

"I can't lose you", he said quietly.

Saturn Girl looked at him, her heart in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Lightning Lad."

The two shared a passionate hug, comforting each other without speaking.

**********

Cyborg landed on a car in downtown Jump City with a crash. "Hey, who is this lady?" he asked as he brushed himself off.

"No idea", Robin answered, helping his friend up.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy had taken the shape of a pterodactyl and was viciously pecking at the red-garbed woman. Until she blasted him with her scepter. As Beast Boy fell to the ground in a daze, Raven, using her telekinetic powers, snatched the scepter out of the woman's hand and flew away with it. As the red lady gave chase, Starfire bombarded her from behind with her trademark green starbolts of energy. The red lady turned around, her waves of long red hair flying in the wind. Catching Starfire with her gloved hand, she unleashed a red energy blast out of her hands in pure fury, throwing Starfire to the ground. Then the woman turned around and put on more speed until she caught up with Raven. She then proceeded to blast Raven until she couldn't keep her hold on the scepter and fell. While Raven plummeted, the woman grabbed her scepter, fully prepared to vaporize the Titans. But Robin was already springing on her.

However, before Robin could reach her, the woman froze him with a flare of negating energy, which stopped the Titan leader cold. But instead of aiming her scepter again, she proclaimed in a loud voice for all of Jump City to hear, "Hear me now, Titans. I will not destroy you here and now. I have plans for you, one of you in particular. I have, however, business that must be accomplished without interference. You have already seen how powerful I am. Cross me again and I will not hesitate to use my scepter of power on you. Goodbye, Titans. We will meet again." And with that, she vanished into the sky.

Starfire caught Robin as he fell to the ground. "Robin, are you all right?"

"I'm fine", the Titan leader replied.

"Who was that lady?" Beast Boy asked when Starfire lowered Robin to the ground.

"A being with powerful magic", the serious-voiced Raven said. "One that has been foretold since the beginning of time. I sensed the presence of the greatest enemy the universe has ever had when she appeared." Raven looked perplexed. "But I don't understand. She's not supposed to be here."

"Well, duh!" said Beast Boy. "She belongs in the jailhouse."

"No, she's not supposed to exist at all", Raven said. "This isn't her time."

"Now what are you talking about?" a puzzled Cyborg asked.

"That woman is only supposed to appear in the 31st century, 1,000 years from now."

When the Titans arrived back at their Tower, there was another surprise awaiting them. In front of the T-shaped Titans' Tower stood two masked figures with black capes.

"Batman?" Robin said in surprise.

**********

"Slow down, Will. You're saying the Heart shone for no reason at all?"

"Yeah, and it was totally bizarre", the Guardian leader told Hay Lin.

In the basement of the Silver Dragon, Hay Lin's parents' Chinese restaurant, Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, Matt, Caleb, Blunk (a Meridian Passling [Passlings can sniff out folds – or, during the time of the Veil, portals – in space to travel to other worlds and are notoriously dirty]), and Yan Lin, Hay Lin's grandmother, were gathered to discuss what the Heart had done.

"I don't know, Will", Taranee said. "It sounds like the normal thing. I mean, the Heart does emit a dim light almost all the time."

"And a hum?" Will inquired. "Look, I saw what I saw. Matt can tell you too."

"It's true, guys", Matt verified. "Will and I were just walking, and then the Heart started shining really bright, and it hummed too, and there wasn't anyone within ten feet of us."

"This sounds like a warning", Yan Lin said.

"A warning?" Cornelia repeated.

"Grandma, what do you mean?" asked Hay Lin.

"You must remember that the Heart is not just a talisman. It can also sense the presence of evil", Yan Lin answered.

"But it's never been this obvious before", Will said, holding the Heart by its chain and staring at it.

"Perhaps this time, what the Heart senses is far more powerful and dangerous than anything we have encountered before", said Yan Lin.

"Okay, you know what, I'm not liking the sound of that", Irma said. "I'd rather have something tame to deal with after the whole Nerissa thing."

"If this danger is that powerful, it has to be destroyed before it gets stronger", declared Caleb.

"Newsflash", Cornelia said, "we don't know what the new danger is, or more importantly, where it is."

"Blunk can sniff danger." The smelly Passling started sniffing the floor.

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Blunk", spoke Yan Lin. "You do not know what you are looking for; therefore, you will not find it."

"Great, just what we need: an unknown danger", Cornelia said acidly.

"Whoa!" Will exclaimed. "Watch, you guys, the Heart's doing it again."

For the Heart had started shining brilliantly again, and it filled the room with a strange hum. But this time, the Heart didn't stop there. It rose out of Will's hand, spinning and rotating wildly, before it opened a fold in front of the stunned Guardians.

"It appears that the Heart wants you to go somewhere", said Yan Lin. "Go into the fold, and you might find what you seek."

"Better Guardian up first, though", said Will, catching the Heart from the air. "Guardians unite!"

In a flash of bright Kandrakan light, Will, Irma, Taranee, Conelia, and Hay Lin transformed into Guardians.

"Water!"

"Fire!"

"Earth!"

"Air!"

"Quintessence!"

Then, the Guardians of Kandrakar entered the fold with Caleb and Matt.

**********

Saturn Girl collapsed in the control room of the Legion cruiser, her hands to her head and her eyes glowing.

"Saturn Girl!" Lightning Lad exclaimed.

Triplicate Girl split herself into her three alter egos and helped Lightning Lad carry the trembling Titanian to a chair.

"What's wrong?" Timber Wolf asked in alarm as he entered the room.

Her hands still holding her head, Saturn Girl replied, "Everything. Nothing's as it should be." She leaned back wearily in the chair and closed her eyes. "It's begun", she said quietly. "The greatest battle the universe has ever known has started." Then, with a jerk, her eyelids flew open. "Phantom Girl!" she exclaimed.

Ignoring Lightning Lad and Triplicate Girl, Saturn Girl sprang up and dashed to the computer. "Phantom Girl! Come in, Phantom Girl!"

"Saturn Girl, what's going on?" Triplicate Girl's Orange Body asked.

"Phantom Girl's in danger!" Saturn Girl replied. "Phantom Girl! Phantom Girl, can you hear me?"

"I'm here, Saturn Girl", Phantom Girl answered. "What's the matter?"

"Get out of the library immediately! It's about to explode!"

"Let me grab the scrolls first!"

"Forget the scrolls! We've got what we need! Get out of there now!"

_**BOOM!**_

The computer screen showed an explosion, and Phantom Girl disappeared from visual sight. Now the screen showed fire, then it went blank.

Saturn Girl and the other Legionnaires on board the cruiser were horrified. "Phantom Girl!" Saturn Girl exclaimed. "No!"

**********

"Batman?" Robin said. "What are you doing here?"

"Paying you a visit", Batgirl replied.

"It's great to see you, but it's kind of a bad time", Robin said.

"Robin?" Starfire asked. "Who are these people and what are they doing here?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" Robin introduced his fellow Titans to his former mentor and partner. "Batman, Batgirl, this is Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy. Titans, this is my mentor, Batman, and my former partner, Batgirl, from Gotham City."

"Oh, so you are Robin's mentor?" Starfire said, shaking Batman's hand. "Robin has told us so much about you."

"Pleased to meet you", Cyborg said to Batgirl.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this family reunion, wouldn't it be wiser to continue this inside?" said Raven.

"Raven's right", Robin said. "These are dangerous times. Let's go inside."

In the living room of Titans' Tower, Batman explained why they had come. "There has been strange occurrences in Gotham City", he said. "Whole buildings have been uprooted and found intact several miles away. Potholes about three feet deep have been found in the roads overnight. And people are reporting sightings of a flying lady dressed all in red with a golden ruby scepter."

"The red lady!" all the Titans exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Batgirl asked. "The red lady? Who's that?"

"We don't know her name, but a woman just like that was terrorizing Jump City just twenty minutes ago", Robin explained.

"And you drove her off?" Batman said.

"No way!" Cyborg put in. "That red lady totally thrashed us and then disappeared."

"Strange", Batman remarked.

"That's not the only strange thing", Raven said. "That woman is only supposed to exist 1,000 years into the future."

"Could she not have acquired a device to travel back in time?" Starfire suggested. "Warp also came from the future, did he not?"

"That's it!" Robin crowed triumphantly. "That's how she's here!"

"Now the question is…" Beast Boy began.

"…what is she doing here?" finished Raven.

"Well I – ahh!" Batgirl was suddenly thrown forwards by a blue, wave-shaped opening which appeared out of nowhere.

"Batgirl!" Robin said.

Out of the opening stepped five girls in pink and turquoise costumes with wings on their backs.

"Okay, we followed the Heart through three folds, and now where are we?" a brown-haired one was saying.

The one with long pigtails gasped and pointed at the Titans, Batman, and Batgirl, and said, "Look, you guys!"

"Okay, do I take it this is where we're supposed to be?" the red-haired one said to a glowing pink crystal. She seemed to listen for a while, then nodded her head and said, "I thought so. Hello, everyone. I'm Will, and this is Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, Caleb, and Matt. We're the Guardians of Kandrakar."

**********

Lightning Lad glanced back over his shoulder. "How's she doing?" he asked Timber Wolf, who was beside him.

"Shaken, weak, and absolutely grieved", Timber Wolf replied. "Other than that, she's fine, but she's taking it rather hardly."

"Is she still blaming herself?"

"Hard to tell, but –" Timber Wolf broke off as a broken-hearted sob came from Saturn Girl's room. "On second thought, yes."

"It isn't her fault", Lightning Lad insisted.

"Tell that to her." Timber Wolf's face was somber and grave. "Did we really have to lose Phantom Girl as well?" he asked of no one in particular.

"We don't know that", Lightning Lad argued.

"Lightning Lad, there was a boom, fire and Phantom Girl disappeared. What other explanation could there be?"

"Obviously you don't believe in miraculous escapes", a familiar voice said.

Lightning Lad and Timber Wolf spun around and beheld Phantom Girl – disheveled, mussed, and a little singed – but alive and well.

"Phantom Girl!" Timber Wolf exclaimed.

"What happened?" asked Lightning Lad.

"Well, the library exploded, but after the smoke cleared, everything was just as it was before – except for the scroll I was holding", Phantom Girl answered. "That just vanished in the explosion."

"Saturn Girl is going to be so glad to see you", Lightning Lad said. "She's been blaming herself for your – er – 'death' – since the screen went blank." He frowned. "Why did the screen go blank is only the scroll was destroyed?"

"Well, my ring was in contact with the scroll when it exploded", replied Phantom Girl. "That might account for it."

"We can talk later", Timber Wolf said. "Right now, you should see Saturn Girl before she goes insane."

"Right", Phantom Girl agreed.

"Saturn Girl?" Lightning Lad said. "There's someone here to see you."

Saturn Girl, her eyes red and her face sad, looked up in incredulity as Phantom Girl entered. "Phantom Girl?" she whispered.

"Hi." Phantom Girl sat on the bed. "Sorry if I scared you."

"Oh, you – did – I –", Saturn Girl sputtered. "Am I glad to see you!" she said finally, enveloping Phantom Girl in a hug. "What happened?"

Phantom Girl explained. When she finished, Saturn Girl looked thoughtful.

"I wonder how and why that happened", she mused. "Phantom Girl, why don't you get cleaned up? I need to talk to Brainiac 5."

**********

The regal woman looked at the charred remains of what she had just destroyed. In her gloved hand, a tiny fragment of old, yellowed parchment with one spiky letter written on it remained to testify that that which had been destroyed was none other than a prophecy – two prophecies in fact. The lady who had destroyed it was chuckling with glee.

"And now, they will have nothing – nothing! – to tell of my coming – or of my identity. The Legion will have absolutely no clue to warn them about their new adversary. Ha ha ha!" The woman gripped her gleaming golden scepter even more tightly and grinned wickedly. "Look out, Legion. Your most feared enemy of all time is coming. All bow down before … the Ruby Queen!"

_**A/N: Well, now you finally know who wants to destroy the universe and blah blah blah. Don't tell the Legion, Titans, or W.I.T.C.H. yet, though, because it would absolutely spoil the surprise. Oh, and don't tell Batman or Batgirl either. They're going to be a part of the action.**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_Legion of Superheroes, Teen Titans, W.I.T.C.H., _**or **_Batman_**.**


	3. Kidnapped!

**Chapter 3**

"Guardians of Kandrakar?" an extremely confused Beast Boy said. "Dude, who are you?"

"And I thought everyone knew who we were", sniffed Cornelia, fluffing out her hair.

"Sorry to disappoint you", Cyborg said. "Now start talking. Who are you and where do you come from?"

"We're the Guardians of Kandrakar", Will said. "Have any of you heard of the nymph Xin Jing?"

"Can't say we have", Robin said, while the others shook their heads.

"Okay, this is gonna be more difficult than I thought", said Will. Then she spoke to the Heart. "Help me out a little here", she told it. Holding out her palm, the Heart of Kandrakar glowed and started producing visual images while Will narrated.

"Long ago, in ancient China", Will intoned, while the Heart created visual aids, "there was an Emperor with four dragons who represented the four elements – water, fire, earth, and air. The Emperor cared only about his treasure, and when famine struck, did nothing to help his people. But the four dragons took pity on the people and caused it to rain, ending the drought. But the Emperor was outraged. He imprisoned the dragons in rock. His daughter, the nymph Xin Jing, defied her father and released the dragons. Then she turned into the Heart of Kandrakar, and the dragons became the aurameres of elemental power."

The scene switched, and the Heart now showed Kandrakar. "Our universe is made of many worlds, each with its own Heart", Will continued. "The Council of Kandrakar, one of the worlds, harnessed the power of the four dragons and the Heart of Kandrakar and gave it to five girls known as the Guardians. Over the generations, the position of Guardians has been passed down. We're the current Guardians of Kandrakar and protectors of the worlds." Will closed her hand and the Heart stopped generating images.

"Okay, so if you're the Guardians" – Batgirl pointed at W.I.T.C.H. – "then who are these two?" she asked, gesturing at Caleb and Matt.

"Oh, let me", Cornelia said. "This is Caleb" – she gestured at her boyfriend – "He's a warrior from Meridian, and this" – she motioned towards Matt – "is Matt from Heatherfield."

"All right, so what are you all doing here?" Cyborg asked, still a little suspicious.

"Relax, Cyborg, I don't think they mean us any harm", said Robin.

"Actually, that's a pretty good question", Irma said.

"We're here because the Heart told us to come", answered Will.

"Wait, you mean that thing can talk?" Beast Boy was freaking out.

"Well, not talk, exactly", said Will. "More like communicate – in a weird sort of way."

"Then what are you doing here?" Starfire asked.

"We think the Heart brought us here because of a new threat", Taranee said. "Do you know anything?"

The Titans glanced at each other, then Raven said, "Well, there's this lady …"

**********

Saturn Girl made her way to the control room, where Lightning Lad, Timber Wolf, Triplicate Girl, Colossal Boy, and Chameleon Boy were busy monitoring several planets for unusual activity. All looked up when Saturn Girl entered.

"Cham, where's Brainiac 5 now?" she asked.

"Umm, I think he's on Station 4*", the Durlan shape shifter replied.

Saturn Girl nodded. "Triplicate Girl", she said.

"On it, Saturn Girl", said Triplicate Girl. "Dispatch call to Station 4 coming right up!"

There was a crackle of static, then the screen cleared and an image of Braniac 5 appeared.

"Brainiac 5", said the image.

"Brainy, I need some information", Saturn Girl told him.

"I'll do what I can."

"Good. What could possibly cause an explosion that only harms one specific object and leaves everything else unscathed?"

"Past destruction", Brainy replied promptly.

"What?" Saturn Girl asked, confused.

"Past destruction", Brainy repeated. "When the object is destroyed in the past, and so ceases to exist in the future."

"So you mean, if the prophecy was destroyed in the past, it would disappear in the future?" Saturn Girl inquired.

"Yes."

"But why the explosion?"

"The consequences of not existing in the future anymore would cause a violent detonation in order to right the wrong."

"So whoever this new villain is, she doesn't want us to know who she is", Saturn Girl said. "Too bad for her we already know. Thanks, Brainy!"

She turned away from the screen and addressed the Legionnaires with her. "This is what happened", she said. "This villain, whoever she is, went back in time to destroy the prophecy which foretold her coming. By doing that, she hoped to surprise us when she showed up. The destruction of the prophecy in the past caused the explosion in the future because it's not supposed to exist anymore."

"But what's the point of just destroying one prophecy?" asked Timber Wolf. "There are others which would predict her arrival. One prophecy isn't going to make much of a difference."

"There's only one other prophecy that mentions 'the lady dressed in red'", Phantom Girl said, appearing in the doorway.

"And I have that scroll, but nothing's happened to it –" Saturn Girl broke off and her eyes widened. "Unless…"

She dashed to her room, with the other Legionnaires following her. Once there, she opened the cupboard where she had placed the scroll telekinetically, and …

"Gone", she said.

"What's gone?" Colossal Boy asked.

"The scroll Lightning Lad found and gave to me", Saturn Girl replied. "The only other scroll that tells of the new villain. The scroll that predicts my death in this battle."

**********

"Okay, so this lady all dressed in red – who's only supposed to exist 1,000 years from now – was terrorizing – Jump City, was it? – only an hour ago?" Irma was saying.

"Yes", Starfire confirmed.

"Okay, remind me again what this has to do with us and the Heart?" Cornelia asked.

"We don't know everything yet, Cornelia", Hay Lin said. "Maybe it will come with time."

"But time is something we don't have at the moment", said Will, looking out the window. She opened a fold. "We should be getting back to Heatherfield." She looked at the Titans. "We'll come back if anything else happens."

"Here", Robin said, pushing a Titan communicator into Will's hand. "Use this to contact us if you need to. And expect some calls from us."

"Will do!" Hay Lin said cheerily. Then The Guardians, Caleb, and Matt entered the fold to take them home.

When the fold closed, Beast Boy said, "Okay, that was just weird!"

"Things are changing, and we may see many more strange things before this is all over", Raven said.

"Do you have to do that?" Beast Boy asked plaintively.

"What about you?" Robin asked Batman and Batgirl. "Shouldn't you be getting back too?"

"Not for the next two days", Batman replied. "Bruce Wayne is on a three-day business conference in Jump City…"

"…and Barbara Gordon's gone to the seaside with her friends", finished Batgirl.

"Got anywhere to stay?" Cyborg asked.

"Not really", Batgirl answered.

"Oh, can they not stay here, Robin?" Starfire asked eagerly.

"Of course, Star", Robin replied. "You can sleep in the spare rooms", he told Batman and Batgirl.

"Thank you, Dick", Batman said.

**********

Starfire tossed and turned in her room that night. For some reason, she couldn't seem to fall asleep. When she finally did drift off, her sleep was troubled with nightmares of creeping stems as thick as a tree trunk. Little did she know that such a plant was slowly entering her room from her window. The thick plant stealthily made its way to where Starfire lay and slowly wrapped itself around her neck. Then it gradually drew tighter and tighter, choking the Tamaranian princess. Starfire woke up as soon as she felt the creeping coils around her neck, but she could utter no scream to alert the other Titans. The weak starbolts she managed to muster were quite useless against the giant stalk. After a feeble struggle, she succumbed to the lack of air and went limp, at which point the plant coiled itself loosely around her body and lifted it out the window and into the night.

**********

"You're going to die?" Triplicate Girl asked, aghast. "As in die for real, not just a risk?"

Saturn Girl sighed. "Yes", she said.

There was an electric silence as the truth slowly sank in. Lightning Lad and Timber Wolf, however, were looking gravely at each other.

"Isn't there any other way?" Phantom Girl asked.

Saturn Girl shook her head. "No."

More silence. No one knew what to say.

"But we're going to go on as if we don't know", Saturn Girl continued. "We're going to act like we always do: analyze the situation, find a way to solve the problem, and stop the danger. We're not going to dwell on my upcoming death, and we'll just deal with that when the time comes."

"How can you take this so casually?" Chameleon Boy asked incredulously.

"I've sort of been through it before", Saturn Girl replied with a small smile.

"Oh." Chameleon Boy looked uncomfortable. "Right."

"But we're not going to think about it", Saturn Girl said firmly. "Let's just focus on stopping this person – whoever she is. All agreed?"

Heads nodded, then the Legionnaires dispersed. Triplicate Girl stood by the door for a while, then she too slowly walked away. Only Lightning Lad and Timber Wolf were left. Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl gazed at each other while Timber Wolf made an excuse to leave so the couple could be alone.

"Saturn Girl, I –", Lightning Lad began.

"Sshh!" Saturn Girl put two fingers to his lips. "You don't have to say anything. I know…"

They shared a loving kiss, which offered some solace for the both of them.

**********

"Starfire?" Robin knocked on the door of Starfire's room. There was no reply. "Star? What are you doing in there? It's ten o' clock." He knocked again. "Starfire?" Robin opened the door and saw everything just as it should be, except…no Starfire.

Robin was alarmed. He alerted the other Titans on his communicator, and very soon everyone was gathered outside Starfire's room. Raven had gone for Batman and Batgirl.

"Yo, I don't understand this!" Cyborg shouted from Starfire's window. "The Tower sensors should have triggered the alarm, but it didn't, and whoever or whatever did this took Starfire right out the window."

"How do you know that?" asked a weirded out Beast Boy.

Cyborg pointed at his robotical arm. "Heat sensors. And whatever this was, it had the temperature of a reptile."

"But how?" asked Robin.

Raven, who had been meditating, opened her eyes and said, "A human being did not do this. As far as I can tell, it was a giant plant of some sort."

"But why would –", Batgirl began, then she broke off and said, "Poison Ivy."

"Who?" said Robin.

"Poison Ivy", Batgirl repeated. "Red and I used to be best friends. Then one night we snuck into a plant factory. Red got caught underneath a pile of chemical plant matter, and became Poison Ivy. She was the first villain I put behind bars as Batgirl."

"So Poison Ivy can control plants?" Robin asked.

"Yes." Batman looked around Starfire's room.

"And she has red hair?"

"Yes", Batgirl verified. "But she dresses in green, not red."

"Also, what would she want with Starfire?" asked Raven. "We've never fought her. Why should she have a grudge against the Titans?"

"Perhaps Poison Ivy is merely a part of a much bigger plan set by the red woman", Batman suggested.

"But why would –", Robin started, but before he could say anything else, the Tower sensors alerted them to a call. They all rushed to the living room, where Aqualad, Speedy, and Mas and Menos of Titans East were dominating the plasma screen.

"Aqualad, what's going on?" asked Robin.

"Robin, we have a situation", Aqualad said. "Bumblebee is missing."

**********

Saturn Girl pored over some reports filed by Legionnaires all over the world, but there was nothing about a woman dressed in red. Frustrated, she leaned back wearily, trying to sort out her thoughts.

The last few days had been hectic. She had sent out an urgent message to the entire Legion, warning them about the new danger. Now every Legionnaire was working on finding this mysterious red woman, but no one had spotted her. It was as if she just disappeared.

There was a knock on her door, and Phantom Girl entered, carrying several sheets of paper.

"Saturn Girl, listen." Phantom Girl started reading aloud from the papers in her hand. "A traveler saw a woman dressed all in red with a golden scepter enter a time vortex four days ago."

"Where was that?" Saturn Girl asked, alert.

"It doesn't say", Phantom Girl answered. "The girl who saw the woman couldn't remember exactly where she was at the time, but she did say she was roughly in the vicinity of New Metropolis."

"Four days ago", Saturn Girl mused. "That agrees with the time the two prophecies were destroyed. And if no one can find her…"

"…then that means she's still in the past, biding her time", Phantom Girl finished.

"But I don't understand", said Saturn Girl. "What else is she doing in the past? She's already destroyed the prophecies. What's her plan?"

"I'm not liking the sound of this whole business", said Phantom Girl. "But is seems to me that all we can do is wait until she returns to the future."

"But we can't!" Saturn Girl exclaimed. "We don't have the time. How can we stop her if we don't know what she's doing? By the time we find out, it may be too late." She sighed. "Get Brainy on the line."

"I'm on it."

Saturn Girl stared out her window. _What are you planning?_ she wondered.

"Brainiac 5 on the main line", Phantom Girl called from the nearby control room.

"I'll be right there!" replied Saturn Girl.

**********

"Aqualad, what do you mean?" asked Robin.

"Just what I said", Aqualad responded. "We can't find Bumblebee anywhere. She's not in her room, and no one's left the tower since last night."

"Funny. The same thing just happened over here – with Starfire", Robin said.

"Starfire's missing too?" Speedy asked. "This could be related."

"We believe it is", said Robin.

"Have any of you seen a woman dressed all in red in Steel City?" asked Raven.

The remaining members of Titans East looked at each other. "Now that's really weird, but we fought someone just like that yesterday", said Aqualad.

"When was that?" asked Batman. Aqualad looked questioningly at Robin.

"It's all right, he can be trusted", Robin assured him.

"Well, we battled about noon."

"The woman travels fast", remarked Cyborg.

"What are you talking about?" said Speedy.

"We fought the same woman a little earlier in the morning", replied Robin.

"The two cases are definitely related", Batgirl interjected.

"Thanks for the news", Robin said. "We'll look out for Bumblebee. Meanwhile, you guys see if you can find any clues."

"Agreed", said Aqualad. "And we'll keep an eye out for Starfire. If we find anything, we'll let you know."

"Good."

The screen blanked as Titans East broke off communication. Robin turned to his teammates.

"All right, here's what we have to do", he said. "We have to split up and look around the city for Starfire, Bumblebee, or any clues that might let us know where they are or who the red woman is. Raven, you take the north side of the city. Cyborg, you search the east. Beast Boy, you come with me." He stopped and looked at Batman and Batgirl. "I know I don't have the right to tell you what to do…" he began.

"It's all right", Batman assured him. "This is your city and your mission. Lead the way."

Robin smiled slightly. "All right, then Batgirl, you go with Cyborg, and Batman, take the south side."

"Okay, Robin", Batgirl agreed. She turned to Cyborg. "Let's go, partner."

They all split up and went their separate ways.

Two hours later, they met up at Titans' Tower and shared reports. Robin and Beast Boy had found nothing, and nor had Batman. But…

"Cyborg, where's Batgirl?"

Cyborg looked up, his face serious. "I don't know."

_**A/n: Great. First Starfire, then Bumblebee, and now Batgirl. What happens next? Ah! Wait for the next update to find out. First though, a few words. Maybe I'm going a bit overboard with Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl's romance, but in times like these, people turn to the ones they love and find comfort in them. Also, Legion stations are certain locations in the universe where certain Legionnaires keep watch to make sure everything goes smoothly (of course I made that up! But I've got to have **something** to identify Legion locations). And maybe I'm getting a bit far-fetched in the story, but I need to have something for a story, right? Anyway, enough chit-chat. Till next time.**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_Legion of Superheroes, Teen Titans, W.I.T.C.H., _**or **_Batman._


	4. Future and Present

**Chapter 4**

"Brainy, is it possible for you to configure the time and global coordinates of a time traveler?" asked Saturn Girl. Around her, several Legionnaires were gathered, listening.

"Possibly", replied Brainy from the digital screen. "But since the range of coordinates is so vast, it would take me weeks, possibly months to track someone traveling through time, even with the most advanced computer."

Saturn Girl sighed. "So all we can do is wait?"

"I'm afraid so", said Brainy. "But I might have an idea where our villain went." He retrieved a scroll. "After the two prophecies were destroyed, I did some snooping in the Official Library of the United Planets myself, and I found this." He cleared his throat and started reading from the scroll. "'And the Great Enemy shall travel extensively, beyond the reaches of space, and shall bring with her several heroes to give her added power.'"

"So she's getting teammates? Great", Phantom Girl said sarcastically.

"But how does that help us know where she went?" inquired Triplicate Girl.

"If you choose to look at it this way, 'beyond the reaches of space' could mean time travel, because what is past or future cannot be reached by the boundaries of the current universe", recited Brainy. "To go beyond space, you need special devices – in this case, it would be a time-bubble device."

"Okay, we know where she's gone. Now, where exactly is where?" asked Saturn Girl.

"My theory is that she's gone back to the 21st century, the era of heroes and villains. If she wanted to find teammates for added power, that would be the most likely place for her to search", answered Brainy.

"What are we, second-hands?" asked an indignant Lightning Lad.

"It's simply that so far in history, the most heroes lived and were active during the 21st century, as were the most villains."

Lightning Lad wasn't completely satisfied with Brainy's answer, but he let it drop.

"It's not much, but it's the best we've got", said Saturn Girl. "Brainy, I'm going to recruit several Legionnaires to come with me to the 21st century, and I'd like you to come along. What do you say?"

"I'll be ready to leave by morning", responded Brainy.

Saturn Girl smiled. "Thanks, Brainy. I knew I could count on you." She broke communication, then turned to the other Legionnaires. "All right, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, Timber Wolf, and Triplicate Girl will come with me. The rest of you manage Station 2. Colossal Boy, take over leadership here. I'll transfer Sun Boy from Station 3 and Karate Kid from Station 5 here, so you won't be shorthanded. Refer to Cosmic Boy if something happens. Is that all right?"

Heads nodded. Saturn Girl nodded approvingly as well. "Good. Now, there's just one more member I need to make the team complete."

**********

Cornelia Hale lounged on the sofa in the living room of the Hales' apartment. Her eight-year-old sister Lillian, the Heart of Earth, was playing with their pet cat, Napoleon, on the floor. Cornelia flipped through a fashion magazine lazily, and only answered the telephone on the fourth ring.

"Hale residence, Cornelia speaking."

"Cornelia, get over here right away", Will's voice said on the other end. "The Titans just called. There's an emergency! Starfire's missing!"

Cornelia jumped upright. "Starfire's what?" Lillian looked at her sister with a strange expression, and Cornelia covered her mouth with her hand. "Oops."

"Details later", said Will. "Come over to the Silver Dragon and we'll Guardian up. Hurry!"

"Be right there", Cornelia said, and hung up. "Listen, Lillian", she said sweetly, while grabbing her coat. "I have to go somewhere – something urgent's happened. Irma's come down with a case of – uh – osteopotris, and Will needs my help getting her to a hospital. I won't be long, and Mum and Dad are just in their room, so you'll be fine. Bye!" And with that, she hurried out the front door.

"Osteo-what?" Lillian said, puzzled.

"What's going on?" Cornelia asked breathlessly as she tumbled down the basement steps of the Silver Dragon. Irma, Taranee, Hay Lin, Yan Lin, Caleb, Matt, and Blunk were already there.

Will held up the communicator. "Robin just called. He said Starfire is missing – captured or something like that, I didn't get the details – and so is some other Titan called Bumblebee, _and_ Batgirl. We're supposed to meet them in Titans Tower as soon as possible."

"All right, but let's hurry", said Cornelia. "I told Lillian Irma had osteopotris, and she knows it doesn't take long to go to the hospital and back."

"You told Lillian I had what?" Irma asked disbelievingly.

"Guys!" said Will. She held up the Heart of Kandrakar, and… "Guardians unite!"

When they were all in Guardian form, Will opened a fold and motioned for them to follow. But she stopped Caleb and Matt. "No", she told them. "We need you here to cover for us."

"But –" Matt protested.

"No buts", Will said firmly. "You're staying here."

And with that, the five Guardians entered the fold, which then closed up.

The fold led the Guardians straight into the living room of Titans Tower, where Robin, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Batman were waiting. On the large plasma communication screen were Aqualad, Speedy, and Mas and Menos. Robin beckoned to them when he saw them.

"What's going on?" asked Taranee.

"…found some evidence in Bumblebee's room", Aqualad was saying. "There's a strange circular mark on the floor, and Menos said he heard some noises there last night."

"How did you manage to understand what he was saying?" Beast Boy asked.

Aqualad held up what looked like a remote. "This. It's a translator device. Control Freak gave us the idea." At that point, Mas and Menos suddenly disappeared.

"So he ended up being good for something", Raven noted.

"What about you?" asked Speedy. "Did you find anything?"

Robin shook his head. "No. But Batgirl's missing now."

"This is getting serious", Aqualad remarked. Then there was a shout, followed by a string of Spanish. "We'd better go see what the twins are up to. We'll call you if we find anything else."

"Same here", Robin replied. The screen blanked, and Batman and the remaining Titans turned to W.I.T.C.H.

"What just happened?" asked Taranee.

"Sit down", said Robin. "We'll brief you."

The Titans told them about Starfire's and Bumblebee's disappearances, then Cyborg told them about Batgirl.

"We were just walking around trying to find clues", Cyborg said, "and then all of a sudden _she_ appears in front of us on that red hover board of hers. Batgirl and I tried to stop her, but she zapped me with some sort of energy sapper, and I couldn't move, but I could still see. She trapped Batgirl in a sort of energy field and blasted her with her scepter. When Batgirl passed out, she grabbed her and flew away. I couldn't stop her, it was only after she left that the negating effects of the flare wore off."

"Dude, don't be so hard on yourself", Beast Boy said. "It wasn't your fault."

"He's right", Hay Lin said. "You couldn't have done anything."

Cyborg smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"Okay, now the stories are out, time to start thinking", said Irma. "But I have no idea what to think."

"We have to stop this woman", Raven said gravely.

"We don't even know where she is", said Cornelia. "How do we track an unknown evil?"

Will gasped. "Evil!" she exclaimed. "That's it!" She held out the glowing crystal of which she was keeper. "The Heart of Kandrakar can tell us where the red lady is! Cornelia, you're a genius!"

"Of course I am", Cornelia boasted. "I always have good ideas."

"Can I drown her?" an annoyed Irma asked Will. Cornelia flashed her an irritated look.

Will was not interested in their argument. She was holding the Heart of Kandrakar. "Heart of Kandrakar, tell us, where is this woman?" she intoned.

The Heart whirled and emitted shining images of a building – a very familiar building.

"But that's –", Cornelia started.

"Sheffield Institute!" Taranee finished. "We have to get back to Heatherfield!"

"No problem!" Will proclaimed, opening a fold. "Sorry, guys", she said to Batman and the Titans, "but we have to go."

"Do what you must", Batman said. "And good luck."

"Thanks!" Will turned to her fellow Guardians. "Ready guys?"

"Oh, yeah!" Taranee exclaimed, flying into the fold. "Definitely. Anybody who messes with school deals with the Fire Guardian!" Flames appeared on the African-American girl's glasses.

"Typical Taranee", Cornelia commented as she entered the fold after her.

**********

"Saturn Girl, Brainy just sent some reports I think you'd like to look at", said Triplicate Girl. Saturn Girl looked away from the simulation she was directing.

"Okay, halt!" she ordered. The simulation stopped. "I'm going to take a look at something", the Legion leader said. "It could be important. So, disperse. We'll call a repeat simulation. Now", she added to Triplicate Girl, "what reports?"

Triplicate Girl pointed at the main computer. "Those."

Saturn Girl stared in shock at the reports in front of her.

**********

The red bolt of energy barely missed Hay Lin. The upbeat Guardian of Air, however, simply picked herself up and retaliated by blowing a tremendous gust of wind at the intruder.

"Quintessence!" Will threw her command at a basketball in the gym of Sheffield Institute. The ball bounced of its own accord and hit the hovering red lady, knocking her off her hover board.

"Guys!" Will shouted as the red lady fell. "She can't fly without the board! We'll have the advantage if we destroy it!"

"No problem, Will!" Taranee said confidently as she threw fire. "A little flame and the board is – huh?" she broke off in bewilderment as the board changed direction in mid-air and flew to the red woman's hands. The red-garbed powerhouse clambered back onto her board.

"Fools!" she hissed. She blasted the gym floor, knocking Irma and Will off their feet. "No one" – another huge detonation – "interrupts" – another great flash of red light – "the plans" – this time, the floor nearly broke – "of" – the ceiling shattered – "the Ruby Queen!" The final blow was the worst. The walls of the gym crumbled and collapsed on the surprised Guardians.

As the dust cleared, Will shook her head and shifted rubble off herself. The others did the same. There was no sign of the Ruby Queen. But then, suddenly, a streak of red moving so fast it could barely be seen whizzed past the astonished girls. After that, the gym miraculously rebuilt itself and everything was as it should be. There was no evidence that the Ruby Queen had been there at all – no evidence except that the Guardians of Kandrakar had reverted to their normal forms of teenage schoolgirls, and there was no Will.

**********

The control room abroad the Legion cruiser at Station 2 was filled with Legionnaires. Some were there in person, but most were looking from digital images on other Stations.

Saturn Girl walked up to where everyone, on the cruiser or elsewhere, could see her. "Fellow Legionnaires", she addressed them, "I have called this emergency meeting because of a very serious situation. As you all know, recently, a new threat has emerged, a threat which is perhaps greater than all the others we have faced combined. I say this because history and the entire universe are in danger of collapsing and being erased, and we have to prevent that.

"I received these reports from Braniac 5 earlier today. They concern certain people from the 21st century, a thousand years before today. In the past, they have mysteriously been disappearing. Starfire of the Teen Titans, Bumblebee of Titans East, Batgirl of Gotham City, and Will Vandom of Heatherfield have all vanished and no one has been able to find any trace of them. Now, Starfire, Bumblebee, and Batgirl are all well-known heroes with certain abilities. Will Vandom, however, is just an ordinary schoolgirl, as far as we can tell.

"Brainiac 5 believes that this is the work of the new villain, and I share his view. These disappearances are not random. They occurred at specific intervals, usually in a fight. The only way to find out what has been going on in the past is by traveling there. I am going to the 21st century, along with Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, Timber Wolf, Brainiac 5, Triplicate Girl, and Bouncing Boy. I have already sent instructions to the rest of you. You have your orders. Keep the stations running, watch out for any strange things, and wait for us to return."

"We'll do that, Saturn Girl", Cosmic Boy declared from his digital image. "Be careful. All of you." There was a general murmur of assent.

Saturn Girl nodded. Then she and her selected team (Brainy had arrived at Station 2 a little earlier) entered the time vortex generated by Phantom Girl's time-bubble device and disappeared into it.

**********

"I don't get it. How can Will have just disappeared?" Cornelia said in bewilderment.

Taranee picked up the Titan communicator that Will had dropped. "Well, at least we still have this. We can contact the Titans."

"Good idea!" Hay Lin exclaimed. The four girls crowded around the yellow communicator while Taranee put the call through. At first, there was only static. Then…

"Titans' Tower." Raven was surprised to see who the callers were. "W.I.T.C.H! What happened?"

"Hey, Raven", Irma said, putting on a cheery act. "We ran into some trouble. Will's gone."

Raven was taken aback. "What? But how – Robin! Cyborg! Beast Boy! Batman! Get down here."

"What's the matter, Raven?" Robin asked as he came.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy agreed fervently. "What's the deal?"

"Will is missing", Raven gravely informed them.

"The red lady strikes again", said Batman.

"But we do know her name", Hay Lin put in.

"Yeah, she called herself the Ruby Queen or something like that", said Cornelia.

"At least we know what to call her", Beast Boy said lightly, then quailed before the glares of Cyborg, Raven, and Robin.

"Looks like we're all involved in this", Taranee pointed out. "So the best thing to do is to work together."

"I agree", said Batman. "Whoever she is, the Ruby Queen is strong and powerful. It will take all we've got to bring her down."

"Hang on", Cyborg interjected. "I'm guessing that since Will's gone, the Heart of Kankarda's gone too?" he asked the four girls.

They nodded. "Kandrakar", Irma corrected. "Yeah, it's gone. So we can't fold to your tower."

"No problem", Robin said. "Cyborg and Raven can pick you up. Just send us your coordinates."

"Okay", Taranee agreed. "Just give me a minute." But before she could start configuring their exact global location, there was a flash of light and several people dressed in costumes appeared in the gym of Sheffield Institute. "What the -?" Taranee began. She turned back to the communicator. "We'll call you later." And she shut the communicator without another word.

"Okay, who are you?" Cornelia inquired of the newcomers – not too politely, it must be admitted.

"I am Saturn Girl", said a blonde-haired girl not much older than the Guardians in a pink and white costume. "And this is Lightning Lad, Timber Wolf, Phantom Girl, Braniac 5, Bouncing Boy, and Triplicate Girl. We're from the future."

"The future? Oh, brother", Irma said, rolling her eyes. "And I thought this day couldn't get any weirder. Good thing it's a Saturday or the whole school would be here to see this."

"Listen, I know it's hard to believe", began the one called Bouncing Boy, "but it's true. We've come to help."

"Help who?" Hay Lin asked. "Us, or the Ruby Queen?"

"Is that her name?" asked Lightning Lad.

"Is that whose name?" Irma shot back.

"Maybe we'd better just start from the beginning", Saturn Girl said hastily.

"Great idea", Cornelia agreed, with a hint of sarcasm.

"But first", Braniac 5 put in, "let us all go to our final destination. Then everyone will be given an explanation."

"Hold on!" Taranee exclaimed. "Go where?"

"I believe it is known as Titans' Tower", Brainy replied.

"You're going to Titans' Tower?" Cornelia asked disbelievingly.

"Yes", Timber Wolf answered.

"And you have to come too", Triplicate Girl added.

"We're not going anywhere till you tell us who you are", Taranee insisted.

"We're part of a superhero team called the Legion of Superheroes", Phantom Girl explained. "And it exists 1,000 years in the future."

"A thousand years?" Hay Lin gasped. "You're from the same time as the Ruby Queen!"

"Hay Lin!" Cornelia exclaimed.

"Relax, Corny, I don't think these people mean any harm", Irma said.

"We don't", Phantom Girl put in. "And it looks like we're after the same enemy."

"Well, as long as it looks that way, I guess we can follow you", Taranee said finally.

Brainy nodded and operated a small, circular device. A purple vortex of swirling matter appeared, to the surprise of the W.I.T.C.H. girls.

"Come on", Triplicate Girl invited.

The Guardians hesitantly approached the vortex, then, with an encouraging nod from Bouncing Boy, entered it, followed by the Legionnaires.

**_A/N: Oo-ooh! Like? It's getting exciting, isn't it? Before you go on to Chapter 5, I'd just like to point out something. If you haven't noticed already, I re-united the members of the "core team" of Legion of Superheroes, Season 1. Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Brainiac 5, Phantom Girl, Timber Wolf, Bouncing Boy, and Triplicate Girl are the Legionnaires who appeared in the very first episode (Timber Wolf appeared in the second) of the animated series, and the ones who were shown the most (with the exception of Triplicate Girl). And yes, Superman will make an appearance later. Keep an eye out for the next update!_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters I am writing about._**


	5. Plan to Succeed

**Chapter 5**

In the dark basement of Titans Tower, Cyborg was trying to fix the main power system. "Come on, baby", he muttered, banging on the fuse box. The lights blinked, then came back on. "Boo-yeah!" Cyborg crowed jubilantly. "All systems are back online."

"But why did it go offline?" Robin wondered.

Suddenly, there was a noise above them, and a voice called, "Hello? Anybody home?"

"That's Irma!" Batman exclaimed.

"Irma!" Beast Boy called, then he stopped as he saw the new faces. "Who are you?"

"Sit down", Saturn Girl said. "It's a long story."

The Legionnaires introduced themselves, explained where and when they came from, and gave them a quick summary of everything that had occurred in the past year.

"We're here because of the disappearances", Phantom Girl explained. "Through the use of time bubbles and historical information, we've been monitoring the past, and when we came across several disappearance in the same time period, all within a few days of each other, we decided to investigate."

"It was a little more complicated than that, but that's the basic idea", Brainy added.

"As far as we could tell, the relevant disappearances were all heroes with special abilities of some kind, with the exception, perhaps, of Will Vandom", Timber Wolf clarified.

"That's where you're wrong", said Cornelia. She then proceeded to tell the Legionnaires of Kandrakar and their powers. "Will is the Keeper of the Heart and the Guardian of Quintessence."

"The bottom line is we're here to help", Lightning Lad said. "Saturn Girl is the Protector of the Universe, and according to the prophecy, she's the one to has to stop the Ruby Queen." The Titans, W.I.T.C.H., and Batman had been told of the prophecy, but the Legionnaires left out the part where it predicted Saturn Girl's death.

"So it looks like we'll be working together", Bouncing Boy said, extending a hand to Robin, who smiled and shook it.

Just then the Titans' communication screen blurred and cleared to show Titans East again. Aqualad looked exceptionally grave.

"Robin, we have another disappearance", he told the Titan leader.

"Who was the victim this time?" Batman asked.

Aqualad took a deep breath. "My sister, Aquagirl."

There was a stunned silence.

"Your – your sister?" Robin said finally.

"Dude, you never told us you had a sister", Beast Boy complained.

"Aquagirl stayed in Atlantis with our father while I ventured out", Aqualad explained. "From what I hear, she was snatched from Atlantis itself."

"She is the fifth to have been taken", Phantom Girl remarked.

"Who are you?" asked Speedy.

"Long story." Saturn Girl brushed the question aside. "We're here to help you, though, so come to Titans Tower and we'll explain everything. Then we can lay out our plans."

Aqualad nodded, and hung up.

The heroes gathered in Titans Tower talked and got to know each other better while waiting for Titans East to arrive. Once they did, Saturn Girl, with the help of the other Legionnaires, again explained everything.

"So, you're from the future?" Speedy asked.

"Yes, and we're going to need your help to stop the Ruby Queen", Lightning Lad said.

Aqualad, who had been rather silent, looked up. "Count us in."

_"Las cosas consiguen emocionante",_ Mas said.

_"Si",_ Menos agreed.

Just then, there was an odd beeping noise. Brainy took out a strange futuristic device and referred to it. "The Ruby Queen's gone back to the 31st century", he informed them.

"And just how do you know that?" Cyborg asked skeptically.

Brainy pointed to the device. "It's a time monitor. It shows any disturbance in the fabric of time, and Ruby just broke from the 21st century to the 31st century."

"Well, you guys go ahead and handle that", Irma said. "We'll stay here in case she comes back."

"No", Saturn Girl disagreed. "We all have to go. She won't return to the 21st century. She's got everyone she wants from this time period, and all the equipment she'll need is in the 31st century."

"How do you know what equipment she'll need?" Robin asked.

"I think I know what she has in mind." Saturn Girl smiled slightly.

"But we can't follow you to the future", Cornelia protested. "It could be days, even weeks before we can come back."

"It doesn't have to be", Brainy said. "The time device is such that we can return you to the exact same moment you left."

"So, if we leave now, even though we spend weeks in the 31st century, we can still come back now, and no one will notice we've been gone?" Batman asked.

Brainy nodded.

"Robin", Raven said, "we have to help them. If we don't, the universe could be torn apart, and not just in the future. Since the Ruby Queen's taken people from this time, it will tear the very fabric of time if anything happens. That will be disastrous!"

Robin debated with himself whether to go.

"Robin, they're sort of making sense", Cyborg said. "I think."

"Yeah!" Beast Boy agreed. "If we don't go, the whole universe will. KABLAM!"

"Are we going?" Hay Lin asked Taranee.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're the smart one", Hay Lin replied.

_"Vamos nosotros?" _Mas and Menos asked together.

"Uhh…" Speedy said. "Aqualad, I need the translator device."

"It's all right", Aqualad said. "I know what they said. Yes, we're going."

"Well", Robin said finally, "If we can return to this exact instant, I don't see why we shouldn't lend you a hand."

"Then we're going too", Taranee declared.

"But what about Caleb and Matt?" asked Hay Lin. "Should they come too?"

"Ask them", Cornelia said, pointing to the Legionnaires.

"We could use all the help we can get", Saturn Girl said.

"And we have to pick up someone else", Triplicate Girl added. "So Caleb and Matt can come – if they want to."

"What about Blunk?" Hay Lin added. Her friends stared at her.

"Be serious", Irma said. "Blunk? In the future?"

"Probably not such a good idea, is it?" Hay Lin admitted.

"You think?"

"We don't have much time", Brainy warned. "If we are to get to the 31st century in time to stop the Ruby Queen, we have to hurry."

"Are you coming?" Robin asked Batman.

"I think so", Gotham's dark knight answered. "It'll be just like old times." He looked at the crowd of heroes. "Except that we'll have a lot more teammates."

"Irma, Taranee, Hay Lin, and I will go to Heatherfield and get Caleb and Matt", Cornelia volunteered.

"We'll go with you", Triplicate Girl offered.

"We?" Irma asked.

Triplicate Girl split into three.

"Oh."

"Take this", Brainy told Triplicate Girl's Purple Body. "You know what it does."

"Sure do!" Purple Body said cheerfully. "We'll meet you in Metropolis in you-know-where."

"Where?" asked Taranee.

"You'll find out", Triplicate Girl's Orange Body said. "Come on, let's go to Heatherfield." She operated the transportation device and teleported them all to Heatherfield.

"All right, gather round, everybody!" Bouncing Boy told them. "We're gonna teleport to Metropolis to pick up someone."

"Everyone ready?" Brainy asked. "All right, then, here we go!"

There was a sudden flash of light, and everybody found themselves in Metropolis, outside a newspaper company called the _Daily Globe_.

"Man!" Cyborg exclaimed. "We have got to get one of those."

"Wait here", Brainy said. He entered the building with Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad.

"Let me guess", Beast Boy said. "They're getting Spiderman, right?"

Phantom Girl laughed. "No."

"Oh. Okay, then, is it...is it..." Beast Boy stopped and thought. "I give up. Who is it?"

"Only the greatest superhero who ever lived", Bouncing Boy answered.

"The inspiration for the Legion", Timber Wolf added.

"The all-American hero…" Phantom Girl started.

"Superman!" the three Legionnaires said.

"Superman? _The _Superman?" Beast Boy was incredulous.

"Do you know of any other?" Timber Wolf asked.

"I do", said a new voice. They all turned and saw Superman standing behind them.

"Wow!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "It's you! It's really you! You're the greatest hero ever!" He fawned over the Kryptonian while Raven looked on disapprovingly.

"Superman", Batman acknowledged.

"Batman", Superman returned the greeting. He then turned his attention to Robin. "Robin?"

"Hey", Robin said.

"You've grown", Superman commented.

"It's been some time."

"You _know_ Superman?" Beast Boy asked disbelievingly. "Dude! Suddenly nobody's telling me anything!"

"Did they ever?" Raven asked.

"Awww!" Beast Boy complained.

"Brainy filled me in", Superman said. He greeted the other Legionnaires. "We always seem to be bumping into each other, don't we?" he said.

"You know them too?!?" Beast Boy couldn't believe it.

"We've worked together on occasion", Superman explained. "No one here's ever noticed, though."

"What are we waiting for now?" Cyborg asked.

"Triplicate Girl and the others should be here soon", Lightning Lad said.

Sure enough, there was a flash of light and Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, Caleb, Matt, and Triplicate Girl's three bodies appeared.

"We're good to go!" the White Body said. "Hi, Superman."

"Hold on, everybody", Brainy warned as he activated the time-bubble device, ignoring Caleb's and Matt's bemused espressions.

The Legionnaires, the Teen Titans, Batman, Superman, Caleb, Matt, and what remained of W.I.T.C.H. entered the time vortex and were flung into a tunnel of swirling purple which landed them in a heap in Legion Headquarters.

"Whoa!" Irma exclaimed.

"Nice place!" Cyborg commented in awe.

"Thanks", Lightning Lad said.

Brainy pulled his wits together. "Computo, display file D-22130486b."

"_Command understood. Access to file D-22130486b granted", _the mechanical voice of Computo affirmed. Immediately, a holographic screen and images of the Ruby Queen appeared.

The heroes untangled themselves from the heap of bodies while Brainy took his place beside several 3D digital screens. Operating it by touch, he said, "All right, everybody, listen closely, because I won't have time to repeat this. The Ruby Queen has been capturing several female heroes from the 21st century. As far as we know, she has not taken anybody from this time."

"Yet", Saturn Girl added.

Going on as if he hadn't heard, Brainy continued, "The prophecy states that the Ruby Queen will bring with her several heroes to 'give her added power'. At first we assumed that she would be recruiting villains of the past, but upon closer reflection, the prophecy clearly states 'heroes', not villains, and not a term even more general. None of the heroes the Ruby Queen took captive are likely to help her without coercion, which leaves her only two options if she is to gain added power from them.

"The first option is brainwashing. With enough power, the Ruby Queen could effectively control their minds and use them to fight us."

"So you're saying we would be forced to fight our own teammates?" Robin inquired.

"That sucks", Irma said under her breath.

"What's the other option?" asked Batman.

"She could use a certain machine to drain their powers and add them to her own", Brainy answered. "With the added energy, she could become virtually indestructible.

"So, which one do you think it is?" Taranee asked.

"At this time, brainwashing is far more likely", Brainy replied. "We reached this conclusion because Batgirl was among those taken captive. Since her ability is agility, her knowledge of hand-to-hand combat, and her arsenal of gadgets, it seems unlikely that the Ruby Queen would be able to wrest those away from her."

There was silence.

Then Beast Boy finally said, "So, what's the plan?"

Brainy turned to the screen. "I've analyzed the Ruby Queen's strengths and weaknesses from footage taken from the security cameras at the Heatherfield gym and Jump City", he said. "And judging from the data recorded on the tape, it seems that the Ruby Queen's greatest weakness is her inability to fly without her hover board. Her golden scepter is also another point where she's vulnerable."

"Hold on a minute", Raven interjected. "When I took her scepter away from her, the Ruby Queen was still just as powerful. How can her scepter be a weakness?"

Brainy pulled a different screen to the front and played a clip from the security camera from Jump City. "The Ruby Queen uses her scepter as the focus of her powers. While she may still use her powers without her scepter, there appears to be some aspect of rubies that helps her focus them. Without the scepter, she has more difficulty controlling her powers, and a part of her energy is used to direct them."

"So in other words, without her scepter, she has to use some energy to direct her powers?" Batman mused.

"Which lessens the energy she is able to actually use in combat", Robin supplied.

Brainy nodded.

"But isn't she more dangerous with her powers out of control? Who knows whether they might just explode the building she's in", Speedy said.

"Perhaps", Brainy admitted. "But at least that power will be less concentrated that it would be if she had her scepter. If we take that away, Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, Raven, and I could probably protect whatever is in the vicinity."

"Okay, first, how do we find her, and second, who's Cosmic Boy?" Cyborg asked.

"I can answer the first question for you", said a voice. Everyone spun around and beheld … nothing. At least it seemed like nothing, but then a small speck seemed to grow bigger and assume a humanoid shape. And then Bumblebee of Titans East was standing before them.

The Titans gasped in surprise.

"Bumblebee!" Aqualad exclaimed.

"_Bumblebee regresa!" _cried Mas and Menos.

"Yo, bee!" Cyborg called.

"How did you get away?" Robin asked.

"I think the Ruby Queen forgot one _small_ detail about me", Bumblebee said, a smug smile on her face.

Catching the emphasis on the word "small", Speedy asked, "She forgot you could shrink?"

"Sure did." Bumblebee's smile widened.

"How are the others?" Robin asked seriously. Bumblebee's smile faded.

"They're all right, but they can't get away. I was about to free them when I heard Ruby coming. Starfire told me to escape and get help." Bumblebee lowered her eyes. "Ruby's planning something, and it's not good."

"Any idea what it is?" Lightning Lad inquired.

Bumblebee shook her head. "Nope. She wasn't boastful or anything. Guess she's not stupid. She figured we might escape and she didn't want anyone knowing her plans."

"How did you know to find us?" asked Saturn Girl.

"Well, after Ruby took us through the time vortex, I kept hearing the locals talking about the Legion of Superheroes. For some reason that seemed to vex Ruby." Bumblebee gratefully accepted a cup of water from Triplicate Girl. "She started ranting about what a thorn the Legion was. I figured that anyone who was a thorn to Ruby's side would be a rose to us. So when I escaped, I stopped to ask the people where I could find the Legion. They directed me here."

"You've come to the right place", Phantom Girl assured her. "We've been trying to track this so-called Ruby Queen for months."

"I'm Saturn Girl", Saturn Girl introduced herself, offering her hand to the leader of Titans East. "I'm the leader of the Legion."

"It's nice to see a fellow female with authority", Bumblebee remarked as she shook the Titanian's hand.

"I'm Lightning Lad." He gestured at the other Legionnaires. "This is Timber Wolf, Brainiac 5, Phantom Girl, Bouncing Boy, Triplicate Girl, and Superman."

Bumblebee's eyes widened at the last name but she said nothing. Then Irma took up her cue.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully. "My name's Irma. And this is –"

"W.I.T.C.H.", Bumblebee finished. "Or at least, the rest of you. "Will's told me all about you."

"Is she all right?" Hay Lin asked anxiously.

"She's fine", Bumblebee assured her. "For now, at least."

"Bumblebee, I'd like you to meet my mentor and former partner, Batman", Robin said.

"Batman, is it?" Bumblebee asked as she shook hands with Gotham's Dark Knight. "I've heard of you. Long way from Gotham, aren't you?"

Batman smiled slightly. "It sounded exciting. Plus I have a certain responsibility to make sure Batgirl gets back safely."

"Ahem!" Brainy sounded impatient and a little annoyed. "If you're quite done introducing yourselves and chatting, we should start formulating a plan."

"Brainy's right", Saturn Girl agreed. "We need to start working on a strategy."

Soon everyone was seated on a chair or the floor, with a digital screen beside them, their minds hard at work.

"What if we attack her where she is?" Cornelia suggested, trying to figure out how to work her 31st-century digital screen. "Where did you say she's staying again?" she asked Bumblebee.

"An old abandoned warehouse near the Superman museum", Bumblebee answered. "She's turned it into a sort of factory. There are wires and metal parts everywhere."

"Right", Cornelia said, as she finally managed to get her screen to display images. Directing a scene of her own imagination, she continued, "What if we go in, and attack her where she's least expecting it? I mean, nobody expects an assault on their home base."

"The idea has merit", Phantom Girl said. "I kind of like it."

"No good", Brainy said, not looking up from his screen. "The Ruby Queen knows Bumblebee's escaped, and she's not stupid. She'll be preparing for an attack on the warehouse because she'll have deduced that Bumblebee will tell us where it is if she finds us – which she did. Therefore, she will be putting up extra defense mechanisms, making any attack on the warehouse impossible, and possibly disastrous. It is also wise not to attack an enemy in their own lair, which they know best", he added with a wry smile.

"I see what you mean", Cornelia conceded.

"Okay, I'm confused", Beast Boy said. "Aren't there more Legionnaires? Where's this Cosmic Boy of yours? And the others?"

"They're on several cruisers in space, keeping a watch over the planets", Timber Wolf answered. "While we're dealing with the Ruby Queen on Earth, they're making sure everything goes well on the other planets. We'll recruit a few that we need for our fight with Ruby, but they don't need to be here for this."

Triplicate Girl's White Body spoke up. "What if we drew her away from the warehouse and rescued Starfire and the others?"

"Now how're we gonna do that?" asked Cyborg. "We can't be in two places at once."

"Let them finish", Saturn Girl said.

"If we broke into three teams, the one group could lure the Ruby Queen away from the warehouse and keep her busy fighting, while a second team breaks into the warehouse to rescue the others. The third team will wait halfway", Triplicate Girl's Orange Body said.

"It sounds promising so far", Lightning Lad said. "But you're not finished yet, are you?"

The Trips shook their heads. "Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for the Triplicate Plan!" they said together.

While the White Body operated their three screens by touch to show a visual play-by-play of their plan, the Purple and Orange Bodies explained.

"Okay, so the first and second teams will be waiting near the warehouse. While the first group attacks the warehouse –" the Purple Body began.

"Hang on a minute", Taranee interrupted. "I thought we agreed attacking the warehouse was a bad idea."

"Wait, we're not done", Purple Body said. "As I was saying, the first team will attack the warehouse, while the second will stay out of sight. Ruby Queen comes out, shrieks curses, then chases after them."

"We can lead her away from the warehouse by gradually retreating – not too obviously, or she'll suspect, but just enough so she'll think we're losing ground", Orange Body explained. "She'll be delighted enough to think she's gaining the upper hand, and she'll pursue her lead. Legion Headquarters will be far enough away from the warehouse, so Team Alpha will lead her there, where they'll keep her occupied – on _our_ home ground."

"Meanwhile", Purple Body picked up, and at this point, White Body switched screens, "the second team, Team Omega, which will be the smallest of the three, will sneak into the warehouse and rescue the captives. There'll be enough people in it so we can escape any booby traps or nasty surprises. Now, at some point, Ruby's going to realize that there must be some purpose to the seemingly meaningless attack by Team Alpha, and that's when she'll panic and decide to go back to the warehouse."

"Team Alpha must chase after her and make it look like they're trying to catch her, or the whole plan will fall apart", Orange Body warned. "Ruby will take the most direct route back, and halfway along said route, Team Beta will be waiting. When Ruby passes that way, Lightning Lad will zap her board – and hopefully her as well. That's why Lightning Lad will have to be in Team Beta. Once she's off her board and on her way to the ground, she'll try to keep herself in the air using her scepter. That's when you come in, Raven", she said, looking at the telekinetic. "You have to be in Team Beta too. You take her scepter away, and Ruby will plummet, falling straight into an electrical ultra-sonic net that Team Beta will have waiting for her at the bottom."

"It sounds good", Irma said. "I like it."

"It's very well thought out", Brainy agreed.

Lightning Lad, however, was quiet. "What are the risks?" he asked.

"Well, Team Alpha will almost certainly suffer some injuries, and be rather worn out for the next few days", White Body said. "Also, Team Omega's rescue mission must be perfectly timed, or else the plan will not work. Team Beta will also have to work fast, setting up a perimeter so that Ruby will fall exactly where we want her to – all after she is engaged in full battle. Saturn Girl will have to be on Team Alpha. Once they have attracted the Ruby Queen's full attention, Saturn Girl can contact Teams Beta and Omega telepathically. Basically, the entire operation is based on stealth, misleading, timing, and fast action."

"So Team Alpha will be hit the hardest?" Saturn Girl inquired.

"Yes, but we'll put as many people as we can spare in it to minimize incidents", Purple Body assured them.

"It could actually work", Brainy said.

"It's the best we've got", Saturn Girl said. "All right, Trips, we'll do it your way, on one condition."

"What's that?" Orange Body asked quickly.

"Each of you leads one team", Saturn Girl said with a smile.

**_A/N: Heh-heh! Ruby's going to get a nasty surprise soon! Hands up those of you who thought the Trips' plan was good. I thought so too. Things _are _getting exciting, aren't they? Oh, and the person Superman is referring to when Timber Wolf asks if Beast Boy knows of any other Superman is Kell-el, or Superman X, from the 41st century. Watch out for the next chapter, folks, and don't go away, because the Legion is in for a surprise!_**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The only superheroes I have are in comic books.**


	6. Ruby's Scheme

**Chapter 6**

Triplicate Girl's Purple Body crouched down low, holding her Legion ring close to her mouth. Around her were the other members of Team Alpha: Saturn Girl, Timber Wolf, Colossal Boy, Chameleon Boy, Superman, Taranee, Cyborg, Bumblebee, and Speedy. Team Omega, hidden behind the warehouse, consisted of Triplicate Girl's White Body, Cosmic Boy, Shrinking Violet, Brainiac 5, Phantom Girl, Hay Lin, Robin, and Aqualad. The members of Team Beta, already in place several kilometers from the warehouse, were Triplicate Girl's Orange Body, Lightning Lad, Bouncing Boy, Batman, Cornelia, Irma, Beast Boy, Raven, and Mas and Menos.

"Is everybody in place?" Purple Body asked into the ring.

"Team Omega is ready to roll", the White Body answered.

"So is Team Beta", Orange Body said.

"All right. Team Alpha will initiate the attack … now!" Purple Body gave the signal, and Colossal Boy broke down the warehouse door. Ruby, on the inside, spun her head around. Superman and Taranee took up the initial attack from there, just as they'd practiced. Enraged, Ruby shielded herself with her scepter of power, but refused to move. Worried, Purple Body made some calculations while Cyborg and Bumblebee took over.

"This isn't right", Purple Body muttered. "She's not going anywhere. She should be retaliating. What's happening?"

Ruby then recognized her former captive. "Bumblebee!" she hissed. "So glad you could come back. Here's a present for you." The "present" was a blast of sheer energy from her scepter which threw both Cyborg and Bumblebee backward. However, Ruby had no chance to press her advantage, for Timber Wolf started to slash at her. Ruby fought back, but there was no substance to Timber Wolf. Furious, Ruby looked around and saw Saturn Girl projecting an image. Ruby aimed her scepter, but then the real Timber Wolf attacked her from behind.

Howling in frustration, Ruby dropped her protective shield and lunged. Timber Wolf ducked, and Ruby had to twist savagely to avoid Speedy's arrows. Chameleon Boy morphed into a saber-toothed tiger and pounced, only to be thrown back by Ruby's energy.

Ruby then formed a barrier of pure energy, but this time it was not cast to protect, but to attack. The glowing barrier slowly advanced on Team Alpha, forcing them to retreat and initiate Phase Two.

However, when Ruby's force field of energy exploded, Alpha did not have to pretend to be thrown backward. They did, however, make a show of getting up slowly, to convince Ruby that she had the advantage here.

It worked. Ruby, delighted that she had apparently blasted an entire team of heroes and bolstered by her success, finally came out of the warehouse to press her lead.

Team Alpha slowly and cunningly retreated further and further back, drawing Ruby further away from her hideout with each retreat. Finally, they made the final retreat to the ground outside Legion Headquarters, and they formed a protective circle around it. Ruby mistakenly assumed, as they had hoped, that they were making a last stand to prevent her from taking their headquarters. In her exuberance, Ruby failed to notice that there was only slightly more than a third of heroes than there should be.

Fierce fighting ensued, with Ruby blasting here, there, and everywhere, one goal in her mind: to capture Legion HQ. Unbeknownst to her, Saturn Girl had already telepathically informed Team Beta and Team Omega that it was safe to strike, and Omega was carrying out Phase Three as Ruby fought. Team Beta was already setting a perimeter of heroes who would ensnare Ruby in their trap.

Back at the warehouse, Team Omega, led by the White Body, let themselves in. The first thing that happened was an electrical cage that dropped from above to trap them and electrocute them into unconsciousness. Brainy, however, reacted immediately and shielded them all (he had not lost this ability when he became human) while Phantom Girl phased through the barrier and deactivated the electrical shield.

"Tread carefully here", Brainy warned. "We don't know what's waiting for us. Almost before he finished speaking, heavy metal sliding doors slammed shut just inches away from Omega, barring their path. But they were no match for Cosmic Boy, who simply forced them to open.

After that, there seemed to be no more traps, and everyone was starting to get a little complacent when a trapdoor opened below them and they fell into an underground cave.

Dusting herself off, White Body looked around cautiously. There didn't seem to be anything here.

"This is it?" she said. "Ruby's losing her touch. We have flight rings."

"Uhh…Triplicate Girl?" Robin said. "I don't think this is just a hole." He pointed at two glowing, angry yellow eyes that were staring at them. As the creature came out of the dark shadows, they clearly saw what it was.

"It's a lightning beast!" Shrinking Violet exclaimed. "Duck!"

They did, and Robin threw three freeze pellets in the creature's direction. It worked, and the lightning beast froze. Robin kicked it and it shattered. Then they flew up and out.

The next thing they encountered was a strange wall. It was not made of metal, wood, stone, or plastic. Brainy ran a finger along its smooth surface.

"It's an alloy", he stated. "A mixture of Titanium, Urathium, and Xenophilum."

"Titanium is a metal", Cosmic Boy said. "I should be able to control it."

"No", Brainy said. "There's too little of it for you to manipulate, but the little that is present keeps the wall strong. Urathium repels any attack made on it, and Xenophilum prevents anyone from phasing through. It's virtually impassable."

"Then we have a problem", Phantom Girl said. "I can't phase through Xenophilum. What are we gonna do?"

"I might be able to help", Hay Lin said. Blowing a gentle gust of air on the wall, she closed her eyes and listened intently. After a while she opened her eyes. "There's a tiny hole in the top left corner", she said. "I know because the sound from the air is different – fainter and more hollow."

"If there's a hole, I can get through", Shrinking Violet said confidently. She glided up until she found the almost microscopic hole in the corner. Then she shrunk into a size too small to be seen by the naked eye and went through.

Several tense seconds passed, then Violet's voice came through the Legion ring. "There's a hallway down here. I can hear voices."

"Is there a control panel anywhere near you?" Brainy asked.

"Yeah, there's this weird-looking box with buttons on a stand."

"What colours are the buttons and how many are there of each?" Brainy inquired.

"There're three red buttons, four blue ones, and one green", Violet answered. "What do I do?"

Brainy thought for a bit. Then he said, "Here's the sequence you must press: red, blue, blue, red, green, blue, red, blue. You can press any red or blue button at any one time, but do _not_ press the same button twice."

"Will do", Violet said. She pressed the buttons in the proper sequence, and the wall faded away.

"How did you know what sequence to use?" Robin asked.

"I used the Brochaim Code", Brainy replied. "Don't ask me to explain", he added as he saw Robin getting ready to ask another question. "You'd never have heard of it."

Still puzzled, Robin quickened his pace, as did the others. There were no more traps.

They could clearly hear voices now. The corridor twisted and turned and got brighter and brighter until they finally approached a heavy, solid oak door trimmed with metal. They could now make out what the voices were saying.

"I'm worried", came a clear, strong voice. "What's going to happen?"

"That's Will!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"Shh!" Cosmic Boy said.

"Oh, there is no need to worry, Will", a cheerful, high-pitched voice replied. "Robin and the others will rescue us."

"Starfire!" Robin gasped.

"Yeah, but he'd better get here soon", another voice added.

"That's Batgirl", Hay Lin said.

"Excuse me", Aqualad interrupted. "Why are we waiting out here when we should be in there?"

"Aqualad's right", Phantom Girl agreed. "We have to rescue them quick, before Team Alpha gets hit too hard."

**********

"Ungghh!" Taranee groaned as she collided with the ground in an explosion caused by Ruby's scepter.

"You all right?" Superman asked as he helped her up.

"I'm fine", Taranee insisted. "But I'm not sure we can keep this up much longer", she added as Chameleon Boy and Colossal Boy fell.

"Team Omega wouldn't have had time to rescue the others yet", Superman said. "We have to keep fighting."

Just then, there was a detonation so large it rocked the earth beneath Team Alpha's feet. When the dust cleared and a weakening Team Alpha slowly pulled themselves to their feet, Ruby floated out from the midst of the smoke.

"Fools!" she laughed. "Did you really think you could defeat me, the Ruby Queen? With my scepter of power I am formidable, and once I add my prisoners' powers to my own, I will be invincible!" She cackled as she blasted Saturn Girl, Purple Body, and Cyborg, who were trying to creep up on her. "What do you think you are doing, Legion? And whoever else you've got with you? You haven't a hope of prevailing against me. Why try? I may have lost Bumblebee…" She looked distastefully at the leader of Titans East, who was glaring at her defiantly, "…but it will be easy to take as many heroes as I want when I have defeated you. And then, I shall conquer the universe! Ha ha ha!"

Ruby started laughing, but then she stopped suddenly. Her eyes widened as she made a quick head count. "No…" she began.

"Yes, Ruby", Saturn Girl stated as she leaned on the wall of the headquarters for support. "You've fallen into our trap. Even as we speak, another team is freeing your captives."

"No", Ruby said. "You couldn't have."

"Give it up, Ruby", Purple Body joined in. "It's over. In a few minutes your prisoners will all be free, and you will be history." To Saturn Girl she whispered, "Saturn Girl…what are we doing?"

"Stalling", Saturn Girl whispered back.

Meanwhile Timber Wolf, picking up his cue, said, "It's over, Ruby. You can come quietly, or we can do this the hard way."

Chameleon Boy, next to him, looked stricken. "Uh, Timber Wolf?" he said. "We don't have enough strength to do it the hard way."

Ruby appeared to be thinking on the same lines, because she emitted a derisive snort.

"You?" she said mockingly. "Take on me? In your state? You don't have a chance! You're pitiful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to capture my captives – or in this case, re-capture them."

"No!" Saturn Girl exclaimed in alarm. "Come on, let's go!" she called to her teammates, who replied instantly.

Ruby just laughed and blocked them as she sped away.

Unable to get past Ruby's force field, Team Alpha looked on helplessly.

"What now?" Superman asked.

"We wait", Purple Body said, "and we hope that Team Omega has been able to work a miracle and that Team Beta is ready for her."

**********

"Lower the net", Batman called to Cornelia and Bouncing Boy. "A little to the center…" he added.

Across the street, Orange Body was busy arranging several heroes in place to form a human cage for Ruby. "Irma, near the fire hydrant. No, that hydrant. Raven, Beast Boy, on the roof of that shop over there. Beast Boy, a little to the right … perfect. Lightning Lad, behind the pillar. I can still see you – move behind a bit more…"

Mas and Menos were digging a pit in the street with their lightning fast feet. In a matter of moments there was a deep hole, into which the ultrasonic net was lowered. A rope connected to the net traced all the way to the fire hydrant Irma was crouching behind. Cornelia then concealed the net and the rope with a very fine layer of earth, thin enough for the net to push away when Irma pulled on the rope.

"Okay, I think we're d –" Orange Body began, but a red streak whizzed past her before she could finish. A force field then came up between Team Beta and the road to the warehouse.

"Wasn't that…" Cornelia started.

"…the Ruby Queen?" Irma finished.

"It was." Orange Body looked worried. "Ahead of time. Without Team Alpha behind her."

The heroes in Team Beta looked solemnly at one another.

"So what do we do now?" Beast Boy asked.

"We hope that Team Omega has had enough time to free the captives and that they will lure Ruby back this way."

**********

Starfire, Batgirl, and Will were in a dimly lighted room, chained to a huge metal thingamajig. Next to Will was another girl with jet black hair and deep blue eyes – Aquagirl, Aqualad's sister. Suddenly, the heavy oak door that blocked them from the world burst open. When the smoke cleared, the girls beheld Robin, Aqualad, Hay Lin, Cosmic Boy, Shrinking Violet, Brainiac 5, Phantom Girl, and Triplicate Girl's White Body.

"Robin! You are here!" Starfire exclaimed joyfully.

"Hay Lin!" Will was amazed. "Where are the others?"

"Oh, they're in another team to keep Ruby busy", Hay Lin answered her friend.

Aqualad made a beeline for his sister, whose face lit up in an expression of pure joy and incredulity.

"Come on, we're getting you out of here", White Body said. "Cosmic Boy!"

Cosmic Boy responded by using his magnetic powers to pull the chains away. The Ruby Queen's captives broke free of the metal thingamabob and joined their teammates.

"Oh, Robin, I am so glad you are here!" Starfire cried as she hugged him. Robin looked rather uncomfortable.

"Robin, you picked good", Batgirl said teasingly.

"Will! Are you all right? What did she do? I was so worried!" Hay Lin said, hugging the Keeper of the Heart tightly.

"Oof!" Will grunted. "I'm fine, Hay Lin – don't squeeze me so hard!"

"Are you okay?" Aqualad asked his sister in concern. Her only reply was a smile.

"As touching as this is", Brainy began, "we should get out of here before Ruby decides to come back."

"It's too late for that", said a voice. They all spun around.

"So", Ruby continued, "the whole attack was just a trick to trap me, was it? Clever." She looked at the individuals gathered. "But not clever enough", she finished as she thrust her scepter forward. "Behold!" she called over the thundering noise of cackling electricity unleashed from her scepter. Outside, lightning and thunder raged unchecked, and rain pelted down furiously, forcing Teams Alpha and Beta, several kilometers away, to take shelter. "Behold the power of the Ruby Queen!"

Ruby's electricity gathered at one spot, intensified, and disappeared, leaving behind a large, translucent, hollow ball somewhat resembling a force field which appeared out of nowhere. And in the middle of the ball lay the silent, unmoving but unmistakable form of Saturn Girl.

"No!" Cosmic Boy gasped.

Ruby grinned wickedly. "Oh yes."

"How did that happen?" Phantom Girl demanded. No one made any move to attack Ruby. The sight of Saturn Girl lying helplessly in Ruby's magic sphere had immobilized them all.

"Oh, it's simple enough", Ruby replied.

Flashback:

_"Fools!" she laughed. "Did you really think you could defeat me, the Ruby Queen? With my scepter of power I am formidable, and once I add my prisoners' powers to my own, I will be invincible!" She cackled as she blasted Saturn Girl, Purple Body, and Cyborg, who were trying to creep up on her. "What do you think you are doing, Legion? And whoever else you've got with you? You haven't a hope of prevailing against me. Why try? I may have lost Bumblebee…" She looked distastefully at the leader of Titans East, who was glaring at her defiantly, "…but it will be easy to take as many heroes as I want when I have defeated you. And then, I shall conquer the universe! Ha ha ha!"_

_Ruby started laughing, but then she stopped suddenly. Her eyes widened as she made a quick head count. "No…" she began._

_"Yes, Ruby", Saturn Girl stated as she leaned on the wall of the headquarters for support. "You've fallen into our trap. Even as we speak, another team is freeing your captives."_

_"No", Ruby said. "You couldn't have."_

_"Give it up, Ruby", Purple Body joined in. "It's over. In a few minutes your prisoners will all be free, and you will be history." To Saturn Girl she whispered, "Saturn Girl…what are we doing?"_

_"Stalling", Saturn Girl whispered back._

_Meanwhile Timber Wolf, picking up his cue, said, "It's over, Ruby. You can come quietly, or we can do this the hard way."_

_Chameleon Boy, next to him, looked stricken. "Uh, Timber Wolf?" he said. "We don't have enough strength to do it the hard way."_

_Ruby appeared to be thinking on the same lines, because she emitted a derisive snort._

_"You?" she said mockingly. "Take on me? In your state? You don't have a chance! You're pitiful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to capture my captives – or in this case, re-capture them." _

_"No!" Saturn Girl exclaimed in alarm. "Come on, let's go!" she called to her teammates, who replied instantly._

_Ruby just laughed and blocked them as she sped away. At the same moment, when everybody's eyes were on her fleeing figure, Ruby quickly and cunningly entrapped Saturn Girl in a magical sphere and teleported the unconscious Legion leader. _

_"What now?" Superman asked._

_"We wait", Purple Body said, "and we hope that Team Omega has had a miracle and Team Beta is ready for her."_

_None of them noticed that Team Alpha was one person short._

End of Flashback

"Stupid fools!" Ruby finished, laughing. She looked at Team Omega. "Oh, are you upset?" She avoided a metal part thrown by Cosmic Boy. "You are, aren't you?" she continued needling them. "But of course, I can't take all the credit for this. I did have some help. Oh, my dear", she said into the ruby in her scepter, "do teleport back now, won't you?"

In a flash of bright light, Bumblebee appeared in front of them.

"Yes, Bumblebee", Ruby replied to the astonished exclamations. "She made all this possible. Of course", she added, holding her gloved hand in front of her as if she were inspecting her nails, "it wasn't really her fault. She just couldn't withstand my brainwashing waves." She flicked her hand, and Bumblebee fell to the ground, unconscious.

"You…" Aqualad began, furious.

"Yes?" Ruby said. "I'm what? Charming? Clever? Sneaky?"

"I think he was going to say totally evil witch", Phantom Girl supplied, looking exceptionally angry herself.

"Oh, well", Ruby said casually. "I suppose I can't expect compliments all the time. But I think I deserve some. It wasn't easy brainwashing Bumblebee. And I played my part beautifully when you assaulted me. Holding back just long enough to make your…" she cast a glance in White Body's direction, "…er, other half or whatever – think that the plan might not work, fighting perfectly convincingly, then rushing back here before anyone was ready for me. Ahh!" she said contentedly. "The taste of victory." She snapped her attention back to Team Omega. "Saturn Girl was the last person I needed. Now, I'll just collect the rest of my captives" – she aimed her scepter and the broken chains; they rose repaired and drew unwilling girls, pinning them against their metal prison once again – "and the rest of you are going out – oh, yes, you are." She pushed them out and surrounded the building with a powerful force field.

_**A/N: Oops! The Legion's plan didn't work. Now Saturn Girl is with Ruby, and Bumblebee is back with her too. Now what are they going to do? Don't go away if you want to find out.**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in the story.**


	7. Fresh Attempt

**Chapter 7**

Team Alpha were all training their hits on Ruby's force field when it suddenly disappeared. Caught by surprise, they toppled on top of each other.

"Guess that worked after all", Chameleon Boy said, pushing Taranee off him.

"That wasn't anything we did", Purple Body said worriedly.

**********

"Come on, Cornelia", Irma said to her friend as she sprayed as strong a blast of water as she could manage at the force field Ruby had set up. "You can do better than that."

Cornelia, sweat dripping from her face, was trying to lift a small section of earth to make a tunnel out of the force field. "I'm trying", she called back. "If I could just…ahh!" The force field suddenly disappeared, to the surprise of Team Beta.

"What happened?" Lightning Lad asked.

"Ruby happened", White Body said as she and Team Omega made their way to Team Beta. "She met us before we could make it out."

"Okay, maybe I should rephrase that", Lightning Lad said. "How did it happen? Why didn't you fight her?"

"We couldn't", Robin said. "She pushed us out."

"And she had –" Shrinking Violet began, but Team Alpha descended from the sky before she could finish.

"What happened?" Superman asked as Triplicate Girl's three bodies became one again.

"Ruby", Aqualad answered.

"Where's Saturn Girl?" Lightning Lad asked Chameleon Boy.

Cham swiveled his head. "I – funny, she was right here just now, wasn't she?"

"Ruby's got her", Phantom Girl supplied, looking grave.

Lightning Lad was stunned. "What? How?"

"By an extremely sneaky move of the Ruby Queen's", Brainy put in. "Let's go back to HQ. We can talk there."

Later, at Legion HQ, when everyone was seated and Lightning Lad was pacing around the room, Triplicate Girl explained what had transpired (having memories of all three sides of the story, she was fully qualified to clarify the whole thing).

"…and that's when Ruby pushed us out", she finished.

"Our earlier assumption was incorrect", Brainy put in. "In her little speech to Team Alpha, Ruby made it clear that she did not intend to brainwash the girls, but to drain their powers and add it to her own. That's why there were so many scrap metal parts lying about."

"And how does that work?" asked Matt (Matt and Caleb stayed behind in Legion HQ as a home defense, just in case. Also, they don't really have much experience fighting super-powered villains. Well, okay, maybe Caleb does, but he doesn't have any powers).

Brainy turned to the computer and displayed a digital diagram. "Ruby is busy building a power transmitter." He pointed at an image on the screen. "From her statement and what we saw in the warehouse, we can conclude that it is nearly completed. Once it is fully operational, the machine will draw the girls' powers into a containment unit." He played a video clip to demonstrate. "Once their powers have been drained, the girls will be virtually helpless. Then all Ruby has to do is to use this portion of the machine" – he pointed it out – "to transfer all that power into herself."

"But the Guardians' powers come from the Aurameres in Kandrakar", Caleb interrupted. "How is Ruby supposed to absorb Will's powers if the Aurameres remain?"

"The Heart of Kandrakar", Brainy replied. "Will is the Keeper of the talisman that connects the power of the Aurameres to the Guardians. Once Ruby has the Heart, she can gain access to all the Guardians' powers."

"But the Council of Kandrakar –", Taranee began.

"Will be powerless to stop her", Brainy interjected. "True, they are immortal, and thus they still exist, but once the Heart is transferred into Ruby's hands, there is nothing the Council can do. They cannot take the Heart from Ruby if she does not give it up willingly, which she never will."

"But that's just it!" Hay Lin said. "Will would never give up the Heart to Ruby. How is she supposed to –"

"This is the 31st century, Hay Lin", Brainy interrupted. "Ruby has the power and the means to brainwash Will in order to force her to give her the Heart willingly."

"But Saturn Girl –" began Lightning Lad.

"Ruby's not stupid", Timber Wolf cut him off. "She'll keep Saturn Girl unconscious. It'll be easier for her to deal with her that way."

"Our best hope is to come up with a new plan to defeat Ruby before she drains the girls' powers", Brainy continued. "Otherwise it's safe to say that she will be undefeatable." He looked around the room. "Any ideas?"

Silence. Nobody had anything to say. "Come on", Triplicate Girl prompted. "There's always something we can do."

More silence. Then…

"I know what we can do." Matt was standing and everyone was looking at him.

"Let's hear it", said Cosmic Boy.

**********

Saturn Girl slowly opened her eyes. She had trouble getting things into focus at first, but the lines slowly cleared until she could see that she was chained to a large, cylindrical metal object with the other girls.

"Mmm…" she murmured. She still felt dizzy and weak.

Then she noticed a red haired girl with large green eyes observing her with concern.

"Are you all right?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine", replied Saturn Girl.

"Oh, stop pretending", Batgirl said from her left. "You've been unconscious for a week. Compliments of Ruby."

"Where are we?" asked Saturn Girl.

"In the inner sanctum of Ruby's secret hideout", answered Bumblebee.

"It doesn't matter where we are." The new voice was soft and sweet and clear. Aquagirl was speaking for the first time.

"What do you mean?" asked Saturn Girl.

"Ruby's been giving you something to keep you asleep", said Aquagirl. "The fact that she's allowed you to wake up means that she's got something up her sleeve, and whatever it is is going to happen today."

"I'll contact the Legion", Saturn Girl said at once.

"How?" asked Will. "You can't reach your ring."

"I don't have to", Saturn Girl qualified. And she proceeded to make telepathic contact.

_Lightning Lad._

The voice in his head jerked him awake. He strained, but he couldn't hear anything more. He decided he must have been dreaming, and was on the point of going back to sleep in order to get some rest when it came again.

_Lightning Lad._

He threw off the blanket.

_Saturn Girl?_

_Yes._

_What's going on? Are you all right? What happened?_

_I don't have time to explain. Listen closely, Lightning Lad. Ruby is planning something, something she intends to carry out today. What ever it is, it won't be good. I need you and the others to come to Ruby's hideout before it's too late._

_How much time do we have?_

_I'd say about six hours at the most._

_We're coming._

Lightning Lad dressed quickly and grouped the others together.

"We'll have to initiate our plan sooner than expected", he told them.

"What's wrong?" asked Phantom Girl.

"Saturn Girl contacted me telepathically." He tapped his head. "She says Ruby's going to act today."

"We haven't had enough time", said Batman. "The entire plan could fall apart."

"I agree", said Brainy.

"The whole plan isn't finalized yet", added Matt. "We still need to work out the kinks."

"We don't have time", said Lightning Lad. "If what Saturn Girl says is right, we have less than six hours before Ruby starts to put her plot into action."

There was silence. Then Phantom Girl said, "I guess there's no help for it. It's either do the rescue mission now with a plan that might not work or wait until the plan is finalized, which by then will be too late."

They all looked to Lightning Lad. Though he was not officially the leader of the Legion anymore, he had held the post for a while, and the rest of the Legion automatically granted him an unofficial second-in-command rank – except perhaps Cosmic Boy. Lightning Lad looked at Brainy, who was still looking doubtful.

Brainy sighed. "Very well", he said. "I suppose we don't have a choice."

"All right", began Lightning Lad, "We still have time to go through the plan one more time. Matt and Caleb, are you sure you can make her think that you're ordinary civilians?"

"We are ordinary civilians", Matt told him. "Mostly."

"All right, so you stroll up to the warehouse and pretend to be curious tourists."

"We'll make her think we're amazed by what she's done to the place." Caleb smirked. "She'll be so proud."

"You're going to need some 31st century clothes", Triplicate Girl said, thrusting two sets of futuristic clothing at them.

"And while she's busy talking", Lightning Lad continued, "Superman, Cosmic Boy, Timber Wolf, Taranee, and I will be sneaking up in front of her, ready to fight" – the people he had named nodded their heads - "while Phantom Girl, Shrinking Violet, Chameleon Boy, Cornelia, and Hay Lin sneak into the building."

"I'll be on the roof of the Superman museum", Speedy added.

"And I'll be on top of the building opposite", Cyborg put in.

"Irma and I will be at the roof of the small shop near the fountain that's in front of the warehouse, out of sight until it's time", Aqualad said.

"Colossal Boy and Beast Boy and I will be on top of the warehouse itself", Bouncing Boy affirmed.

"Robin, Brainiac 5, and I will be setting up the electronic trap behind the museum", Batman acknowledged.

"The three of us will be off to the left of the warehouse", confirmed Triplicate Girl's White Body.

"And Mas and Menos will be with me on the right", Raven qualified.

"Right", Lightning Lad agreed, "and my group will distract Ruby while Phantom Girl's group sneaks in. We'll lead her to the left, near the Superman museum…"

"Where I'll be sending down a volley of arrows from the top", Speedy said.

"And when she runs the opposite direction, I'll give her a solid blast of good old 21st century sonic boom", said Cyborg gleefully.

"She should be in position by then, so I'll jump down on to her", Colossal Boy promised.

"And while you're holding her, I'll be pecking at her…" added Beast Boy.

"…and I'll be bouncing her", Bouncing Boy finished. "Then we'll jump off to make way for the amazing waterfall you two will be making on her", he added to Irma and Aqualad.

"I'll add more than just water to the mix to distract her a bit more", Raven said then, "before I send Mas and Menos into the warehouse as backup."

"If you push her our way, we'll take care of her", the Trips volunteered. "Hopefully we'll karate kick her far enough to land her near the side of the Superman museum…"

"I'll give her a shock", said Lightning Lad.

"And then I'll carry her behind and drop her into the trap", said Superman.

"While Taranee and I follow below as backup", finished Cosmic Boy.

"It's complicated, but it has to be or she'll figure out what's going on", Brainy said. "If we all converge on her at once, one after the other, she'll never notice five people are missing until it's too late. So everyone knows the plan?" Heads nodded. "Here come the complications. Caleb and Matt, you must be as casual as possible while talking to Ruby. Don't just act as mildly curious, innocent tourists – be mildly curious, innocent tourists – and keep her talking for as long as possible. Superman, Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, Timber Wolf, Taranee, once she stops talking, you'll have to attack immediately. Caleb and Matt can join in when she's busy. When you've led her as far as ten feet from the museum, jump clear. Don't wait around. Once they do, Speedy, shoot at her as fast as you can.

"Now, Cyborg, once she runs into your range, shoot her. And before she can seek another way out, Colossal Boy, jump down, growing as you do so, so that you're heavy enough to pin her to the ground. That will knock her off her hover board, if Speedy's arrows or Cyborg's sonic blast haven't already. Raven, once the board is off, you have to use your powers to bring it to you. Don't let her have it again. Same with her scepter, when she lets go of it.

"Colossal Boy, hold her tight, but leave enough space for Beast Boy to start pecking at her, and then shrink to your own size again as Bouncing Boy comes bouncing onto her. If you can, run into the warehouse to help Phantom Girl's group.

"Bouncing Boy, Beast Boy, after you jump away, see if you can't go into the warehouse too. With all the water that's going to be splashing on her, Ruby probably won't notice. Now, after Mas and Menos run in as well, Raven, you start hitting her with everything you've got. Push her toward the Trips – they'll push her toward the museum. Lightning Lad, shock her as soon as you get a clear shot. And Superman, as soon as the last vestiges of lightning wear off, pick her up and drop her into Batman's trap. Hopefully she'll be unconscious by then, so we can take her easily.

"Now", Brainy continued, "The entire plan is based on timing. Once each attack is over with, the next attack must come in – immediately. We have to confuse her. That's no problem. But she might have fixed the alloy wall, so it'll be more difficult for you to get in. Phantom Girl, we haven't had any time to figure out how you'll get in if she has, so you're on your own. Hay Lin can sense if there're any holes, so if Ruby hasn't patched the wall, Violet, you can get in again. You remember the sequence, don't you? Good. Now, there's a chance Ruby will have changed the entire security system, so if she's done that, you'll have to figure out how to breach it without alerting her. I might be able to help, but my ability is limited since I won't be there. Saturn Girl or one of the other prisoners might know."

"You heard Brainy", Lightning Lad said. "We'll have to be quick and use our heads. Everyone ready?" They nodded. "Then let's get going!"

**_A/N: There they go. Second confrontation with Ruby. You'd think they'd win this time, wouldn't you? I would too._**

**Disclaimer: If I owned any of the characters above, I wouldn't need to post this on FanFiction.**


	8. Enter Death

**Chapter 8**

As Lightning Lad crouched near a wall of the Superman museum, out of sight from Ruby, who was patrolling her warehouse, Matt and Caleb strode up to where she was floating above the ground on her hover board.

"Oh, wow, Miss", Matt said, with false admiration. He waved in the direction of the Superman museum. "That's a mighty structure over there. Are you the one who's in charge of it?"

Caleb was surprised at the change, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Matt stepped on his foot. "Just play along", he whispered.

Caleb wasn't the only one who was surprised. Near Lightning Lad, Taranee was muttering, "What is he doing?"

Ruby observed the two boys in front of her. "I most certainly am not", she said with haughty dignity. "I would never agree to run that oversized building. If it were up to me, I'd have it torn down."

"Uh…why is that?" Caleb asked.

"Everyone looks up to Superman", Ruby said, "but he wasn't the hero that everyone thinks he was."

"How do you know?" asked Matt, pretending to be enraptured. Behind his back, he balled his hand into a fist – the signal for Phantom Girl and the others to sneak in.

"I…uh…" Ruby thought fast. "I decided to do some research", she lied, "so I went back in time. And I saw him tear a light pole from the ground."

"That was when I needed a weapon to fight Lex Luthor", Superman said indignantly.

"Shh!" Cosmic Boy warned him. Behind Ruby, Phantom Girl, Shrinking Violet, Chameleon Boy, Cornelia, and Hay Lin were quietly tiptoeing into the warehouse.

"Oh, really?" Caleb asked politely. "I see. Um…you wouldn't happen to have…uh…a map of the city anywhere, would you?"

"Sorry, no", said Ruby. "I hope you don't plan on visiting that." She jerked her head toward the Superman museum.

"I…uh…don't think so", Matt said, seeing that Phantom Girl's group was not in sight anymore. He grabbed Caleb by his shirt and dragged him away. "We'll be seeing you…maybe. Go!" he shouted.

Before Ruby could figure out what was going on, Superman punched her smack in the face and sent her flying off her board. Ruby landed heavily on the ground, but before she could get up…WHAM! Caleb and Matt jumped on her and tried to wrestle her staff away, distracting her as Raven brought the board towards where she was hiding with the twins. Ruby, however, held on tightly to her scepter and managed to create a shield that kept that part of the Legion away long enough for her to get up.

Lightning Lad and the others gradually pushed her away from the warehouse, toward the museum, fighting her all the while, trying to buy time. Once they backed her up against the wall, they scattered as a volley of high-powered arrows whizzed by, forcing Ruby to keep hopping and jumping out of the way. Up on the roof of the museum, Speedy was shooting arrows so fast his arm could barely be seen as it picked the arrows from his quiver, strung them on his bow and fired them at Ruby with perfect aim.

The arrows were coming thick and heavy, and Ruby had no time to direct her power into an energy shield to deflect them. Instead, she pulled a desperate maneuver. Arching her back, she lunged to her side, hoping her momentum would carry her out of the hot zone where arrow after arrow was flying at her, though in the process she dropped her scepter. The time Speedy took to adjust his aim was just enough for Ruby to jump up and dash back to her warehouse. But before she could retreat inside, an electric blue sonic ray blasted the ground just next to her. Ruby yelped and cursed in the direction of the blast, attempting to aim her scepter at Cyborg until she realized it was missing, at which point she leaped out of the way as Cyborg fired his cannon at her again.

Ruby looked around for her scepter, and swore when she did not find it, Raven having already snatched it telekinetically from the heat of the battle. At that point, the gigantic Colossal Boy jumped off from the roof of her on warehouse. He grabbed her shoulders as he landed on her and pinned her to the ground.

Struggling ferociously, she very nearly managed to overpower Colossal Boy, but she had to abandon the attempt when she quite suddenly found herself a pecking post for a giant green pterodactyl.

"Ow!" she yelled. "Get away from me, you ugly green brute!" and she managed to focus enough to shoot a beam of red energy at Beast Boy, who was pushed forcefully backwards and was caught by Superman. Colossal Boy picked that moment to shrink to his original size.

Believing she had gained the upper hand, even without her scepter and hover board, Ruby crowed in triumph as she stood up…only to be flattened against the earth once more by a giant, buoyant ball – Bouncing Boy.

"Oof!" she exclaimed, all the air being knocked out of her. Then, almost as suddenly as it had come, the pressure was gone, as Bouncing Boy ducked into the warehouse with Beast Boy to help Phantom Girl and the others. Before Ruby could realize what was happening, a sudden torrent of water that seemingly came from nowhere cascaded down on her, drenching her completely.

"You look like you could use a little cooling off", Irma called from her vantage point on the shop nearby, a smirk on her face.

Ruby coughed and spluttered as the deluge stopped. "You –" she began.

"Heads up", Raven warned, sweeping dirt and rocks toward the red-garbed woman.

**********

Meanwhile, Phantom Girl, Shrinking Violet, Chameleon Boy, Cornelia, and Hay Lin had made their way cautiously into the warehouse. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they were out of sight of Ruby.

"This way", Phantom Girl said, leading the rest the way they had gone the other day. "Watch out for traps."

Tense and expectant, the five of them strained their senses to detect anything out of the ordinary, jumping at every little sound. However, their short walk was uneventful.

"That's strange", Phantom Girl commented. "Why would Ruby leave her hideout unprotected?"

"We don't have time to speculate about that now", Cham pointed out. "Hay Lin, is there a hole?" he asked the Air Guardian.

Hay Lin closed her eyes to listen. "Yes", she replied. "It's still there, in the same spot."

"I'm on it", Violet said, gliding up as she shrunk smaller and smaller.

"Be careful", Phantom Girl warned. "I don't like this. It could be a trap. This all seems too easy."

Shrinking Violet nodded before she became tiny enough to fit through the hole. Almost immediately she was blown back. She crashed against the floor, gradually returning to her normal size while the rest of the group looked on fearfully.

"She's out cold", Hay Lin said worriedly, checking Violet's pulse. "Now what?"

"Oh, leave it to me", Cornelia said confidently, pushing her way to the front. "Welcome, boys", she added to Beast Boy and Bouncing Boy, who had just arrived. "You're just in time for the show." And she placed her hands on the ground and ordered the earth to move.

Soil and rock slid out of place at the Earth Guardian's command. Soon there was a hole big enough for them to crawl through.

"There", Cornelia said, panting and sweating. "We can go under."

"I'll go first", Cham volunteered.

"I'll go with you", said Beast Boy, and the two of them changed into mice and scurried down the tunnel.

A few minutes later, one mouse popped his head back up. "It's all clear", Beast Boy told them, changing back momentarily. He became a mouse again and led the way.

"Let's go", Phantom Girl said.

"What about Violet?" asked Bouncing Boy.

Phantom Girl thought for a bit. "Hay Lin, can you stay here with Violet?" she asked. "Find a safe place to hide – or go back outside and help the others."

Hay Lin nodded her agreement and began pulling Violet to a more secure place.

"All right, everybody, let's go", said Phantom Girl. She phased through the tunnel, careful not to touch the alloy wall.

"And what, the rest of us get dirty?" asked Cornelia indignantly, as the others followed one by one. There was no answer. "Arghh!" she cried. She lowered herself and crawled into the tunnel. "This was not what I expected when I made this tunnel. I am so getting a new manicure – not to mention a good hair washing. I'll probably have to burn these clothes too. How disgusting. These are Gucci", she complained.

Bouncing Boy followed the irritable Guardian, but he got stuck as he was coming out.

"Help", he said, making a comical sight with his hands raised and half his body stuck in the hole. Cham and Beast Boy tugged at his arms and managed to pull him free.

"Was it this way or that way?" Phantom Girl wondered. She heard voices. "All right, this way", she told everyone, heading in the direction of the voices.

"I'm telling you, Bumblebee, she can't use the Heart unless I give it to her willingly", Will insisted.

"And I'm telling you, she can take it from you", Bumblebee retorted.

"She can not!" Will said stubbornly.

"Can too!" Bumblebee cried.

"Can not!"

"Can so!"

"Can not!"

"Can so!"

"Break it up, you guys!" Batgirl said.

"Yes, do not do the yelling and the shouting any longer", Starfire agreed. "It is not what friends do. Friend Bumblebee", she said to the Titans East leader, "I do not mean to be disrespectful, but should not Will know more about the Heart of Kandrakar than you?"

"I guess so", Bumblebee admitted grudgingly.

"There is no point in arguing about this anymore", Saturn Girl said firmly. "The Legion is just outside."

"They are?" Aquagirl jerked her head up.

"Yes", Saturn Girl answered. "And we have to help them if we are to stop Ruby."

Just then the heavy metal door burst open, courtesy of a triceratops-shaped Beast Boy and the gigantic, weird-looking creature whose form Cham had taken. The six girls gasped in surprise, except Saturn Girl, who had been expecting them.

"You made it!" Saturn Girl sounded relieved.

"Of course we made it." Phantom Girl immediately got to work loosening the chains.

"This is not working", Batgirl said to Cornelia, who was fumbling with the metal links.

"Tell me something I don't know", Cornelia retorted. "These are _chains_." She held up her hand and observed her nails critically. "And these were freshly manicured last week."

"Hey, Beauty Queen!" Batgirl called, annoyance clearly plain in her voice. "Would you mind leaving your looks for later? There's a world crisis going on here!"

"All right, all right, just be patient, would you?"

Beast Boy burst the lock on Starfire's chains by changing into an ant and crawling inside to become an elephant, which of course caused the lock to break into numerous pieces. Cham imitated him, doing the same with Aquagirl's bonds.

Mas and Menos ran into the room at top speed about then, and their legs weren't the only things moving. They were speaking fast Spanish and waving their arms about wildly.

_"Senor Beast Boy! Viene rápidamente! Hay problema afuera! La Chica Triplicada púrpura ha sido agarrada!"_ Menos cried.

"_Sí, sí! Senora Raven nos dijo decirle venir afuera. Apuro!" _Mas supplemented almost at the same time.

"What?" asked Beast Boy, confused.

"They're saying there's trouble outside", supplied Saturn Girl, whom Phantom Girl had phased through her chains. "We have to hurry", she told the others, who had all managed to wriggle free somehow with help from the rescue party.

When Ruby's captives and their rescuers arrived on the fighting scene, the sight was not pleasant. Ruby was backed against a wall, holding Triplicate Girl's Purple Body, one hand touching a knife which had been hidden in her boot to the unconscious Legionnaire's throat. Surrounding Ruby were the other Legionnaires (as well as two traumatized Triplicate Girls near a light pole), the Titans (including Titans East minus Bumblebee), and the rest of W.I.T.C.H. They all looked ready to strike, but Ruby kept them at bay by brandishing her knife and threatening Purple Body.

"What's going on?" Phantom Girl asked as she sidled up to Colossal Boy.

"Ruby managed to grab one of the Trips", Colossal Boy answered. "We didn't know she had a knife."

"And I know you don't know I have this!" Ruby cried. "Ivy, now!"

Before anyone could react, thick brown vines crept across the road and quickly and effectively coiled around all the heroes. The strong vines held them all in place, rendering them helpless. Even Superman found the vines were too strong for him to break – probably the result of Ruby's magic.

A figure with red hair wearing a short green dress emerged from the warehouse.

"Red!" Batgirl gasped.

"Hello, Batgirl", Poison Ivy said maliciously. "How are you?"

"What's this all about, Ruby?" Phantom Girl asked the woman. "What do you want?"

"I want your powers, my dear", Ruby said, releasing Purple Body. "I selected each of you girls for your specific abilities, except for Batgirl, of course. Ivy just wanted revenge on _her_." Ruby smiled evilly. "And now, thanks to her help, I finally have you all at my mercy."

"I want to know something", Batgirl was saying to Poison Ivy, who was pulling the vine around the hero closer to her. "Why didn't you show yourself earlier?"

"Ruby's idea." Ivy looked faintly disgusted. "I didn't want to wait, but Ruby promised I'd have my reward if I followed her plan." She glared at Batgirl, a spiteful smile curving her lips. "And finally, I'll have my revenge, _Barbara_."

"Stop!" Saturn Girl cried. Ruby looked at her.

"Why should I do that, Saturn Girl?" she asked. She had them begging, and she knew it. The thought gave her enormous satisfaction.

"What do you want, Ruby?" Saturn Girl asked.

"We've already had this conversation", Ruby said, sounding bored. "I want power. With it, I can conquer the world. And you, of course", she added.

"What about a deal?" Saturn Girl's face had an expression of determination – and a hint of desperation – on it. Lightning Lad shot her a look of alarm.

"A deal?" Ruby's eyes widened in glee. "Ivy!" she barked.

"What?" Ivy asked, annoyed. She was in the middle of squeezing Batgirl – slowly and painfully.

"Saturn Girl here wants to make a deal. Shall we see what she wants before we do any irreversible damage?"

Ivy looked impatient and irritable, but she grunted her grudging approval and loosened Batgirl's vines a bit.

"All right, Saturn Girl, what kind of deal are you talking about?" Ruby asked.

"Release the others", Saturn Girl said. "All of them."

Ruby snorted. "Oh, really? And what do I get in return?"

Saturn Girl took a deep breath while Lightning Lad gulped. He had a bad feeling about this.

"You can have me."

"Saturn Girl!" Lightning Lad shouted. "No! Are you out of your mind?"

"Oh, shut up", Ruby told him. Ivy gagged him with a bit of her vines, just like she had gagged Raven, Superman, and several others who could use their powers if their mouths were free.

"So…" Ruby said experimentally. "If I let everyone else go, I get you?"

"Yes", Saturn Girl promised.

"And I can do whatever I like with you?"

Hesitating just a moment, the Legion leader replied, "Yes."

Both Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy were horrified by now. Lightning Lad struggled through his gag ("Mm mmm mm mmmm!") while Cosmic Boy cried, "No!"

"Hush", Saturn Girl told them, her voice firm but her face anguished. "It's the only way."

Ruby smiled and clapped her hands in glee. "Excellent, excellent. I accept your deal, Saturn Girl."

"What about Batgirl?" Ivy demanded indignantly. "You promised I'd have my revenge. You swore I'd get my reward."

"Yes, yes, but don't you see?" Ruby said. "The leader of the Legion of Superheroes at our mercy. We can do anything we like to her."

"Ruby…" Ivy growled warningly.

"Conference, Ivy", Ruby said then. The two villains retreated away from where the heroes were tied up in vines.

"You can't do this, Saturn Girl", Cosmic Boy said desperately. "We'll figure something out."

"What?" asked Saturn Girl in a deadly quiet voice. "There's nothing else to think of. If I don't give myself up, Ruby will get too powerful."

"And if you do, she'll kill you", Phantom Girl pointed out. She couldn't get free of Ivy's vines either, because they seemed to be fortified with Xenophilium.

"Please, is there no other way?" Starfire pleaded.

"Yes, there is", a new voice interrupted. Hay Lin and Shrinking Violet ran out from the warehouse entrance and began trying to loosen the vines around their teammates.

They didn't get very far. Ruby came back and Ivy tied the last two members of Superheroes United (just made that up) in her thick vines.

"All right, Saturn Girl, we'll do it your way." Ruby smirked. "Now here's how this is going to work. Ivy will release you, but just to be sure you don't try to run back, I'll put up an energy barrier, and Ivy will set her giant plant stalk to guard the door. No one is coming in after us. Got it?"

No one answered. The only thing Ruby got in response was Lightning Lad struggling even harder.

"Good", Ruby said, seemingly oblivious to the fact that no one had agreed. "Ivy…"

Ivy slowly made her vines release the heroes, and immediately Ruby set up her barrier.

"Oh, Saturn Girl", she almost sang. "Come here."

Saturn Girl began to walk slowly toward Ruby, but Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy immediately grabbed her arms.

"No way is she getting you", Lightning Lad growled.

"Saturn Girl, this is insane", Cosmic Boy said. "Won't you…"

"No", she interrupted, tears in her eyes, even though she tried to hold them back. "This is the only way…"

"Saturn Girl, listen to them", Raven said urgently. "There must be another way."

"She's right", Aqualad put in. "We won't let you sacrifice yourself for all of us."

"But that's just it." Saturn Girl looked up. "I'm just one person. If I turn myself in, the universe will be safe – at least for the time being. I can't let Ruby drain all your powers. It would be a catastrophe!"

"This is what the prophecy meant, isn't it?" Timber Wolf said gravely.

"No", Lightning Lad hissed. "She is not going."

"I have to." Saturn Girl looked pleadingly into her boyfriend's eyes. "Let me go, Garth."

"No", he insisted. "I won't. I can't."

"Garth…" Using her telepathic powers, Saturn Girl made him and Cosmic Boy let go of her and she slipped through Ruby's hastily raised energy field before anyone could stop her. Once she was on the other side, Ruby, grinning wickedly, herded the Legion leader into the warehouse, knowing that her energy barrier would keep the other heroes from interfering – not to mention Poison Ivy's frightening-looking plant.

"No!" Lightning Lad shouted. He attempted to penetrate the barrier with lightning, but the electricity was simply deflected away.

The gathered heroes (including Triplicate Girl's revived Purple Body) were forced to watch helplessly as Ruby led Saturn Girl further and further into the dark building, forced to witness Ivy slowly moving over to join them. And then…

Just as Ivy's figure blocked the doorway, there was a resounding boom as fire engulfed the warehouse. The glass windows shattered, and the flames spread higher and higher as Ivy threw herself out of the way.

Sometimes, even in the best of situations, we lose. And sometimes, even when we win, we lose. That was exactly how Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, and all the other heroes felt as they watched Ruby's headquarters burn endlessly. As they saw their enemy, but also their friend, vanish in front of them, in the raging fire. And a wave of overwhelming sorrow and loss swept over them as they realized that Saturn Girl was gone, gone forever…

**_A/N: Hi folks! Eighth chapter done. This is taking a while, isn't it? Just for your information, I made up the substance Xenophilium for the purpose of this story. And Superman couldn't break through the vines because, as I hinted, Ruby's powers are magically-based, and he's vulnerale to magic (watch_ Child's Play_). Anyways, the ninth chapter will be along soon. Don't get bored!_**

**Disclaimer: Honestly, do I really even need to say it? Oh, fine, then: I-do-not-own-**_Legion_**-**_of_**-**_Superheroes_**-**_Teen_**-**_Titans_**-**_Batman_**-or-**_W.I.T.C.H. _**Happy?**


	9. New Hope

**Chapter 9**

Nobody moved or spoke as thunder roared and lightning flashed overhead. A sudden rainstorm pelted down on them, but they didn't notice. The heavy raindrops soon extinguished the fire, leaving almost an entire half of the building undamaged. But they all knew, the explosion had originated in the area Saturn Girl and Ruby had been in. _This _was Saturn Girl's real plan. Not to simply give herself up in the vain hope that when Ruby was done with her, she would not move on in her conquest for world domination; not to merely hand herself in so that Ruby would spare the lives of her friends – but to ignite an explosion, putting Ruby out of the way for good, albeit sacrificing her life in the process. Normally, the Legion did not kill, but Ruby had been something else – in the same league as Imperiex and the original Brainiac, and Saturn Girl had had no choice.

But the Legion was not even thinking about that. All they were thinking of was the fact that their leader, one of the founders of the team, had died in the explosion. Even Saturn Girl's new ability to generate force fields would not have allowed her to survive that. Her force fields were not yet strong enough to protect her from a full scale explosion.

Just then, Batman, Robin, and Brainy (if you'll remember, they were busy setting up the trap for Ruby out of earshot of the warehouse) ran up. The explosion had been loud enough for them to hear, as far away as they had been. They saw Ivy as she was sneaking away and grabbed her and tied her up with one of Batman's gadgets. Then they noticed the wreckage and the demoralized heroes in front of them, and for a moment they did not know what to say.

"What – what happened?" Robin asked finally.

"Oh, Robin!" Starfire flew over to him and hugged him tightly, crying brokenheartedly.

"Star…?" Robin said, bewildered.

"What happened?" Brainy repeated Robin's question, only with more urgency, because he had this nagging, fearful feeling that something terrible had just occurred.

"Saturn Girl…she…she…" Shrinking Violet began, and then broke down, unable to continue.

"She what?" Brainy demanded fearfully, whatever that was left of his robotic composure gone.

"She's…gone." Triplicate Girl's White Body said with tears in her eyes.

"What?" Batman said in shock and disbelief.

"The explosion…she caused it", Orange Body said. "She gave herself up to Ruby, and then, when they were in the building, she…" At this point, the three Triplicates gathered in a tight hug, sniffling and crying softly.

They didn't need to say anymore. Brainy understood, and he stood in stunned shock.

Nobody said anything for some time. Then Aquagirl said slowly, "We should give her…a proper funeral."

They didn't contradict her statement; they knew she was right. Saturn Girl deserved a hero's funeral. But would there be enough of her left to bury?

They went to see, leaving Ivy tied up near the outer wall. They picked through the charred wooden frames and saw the combustive, broken machines Saturn Girl must have telekinetically crashed together in order to create the explosion. All that remained of those were melted metal bits and sizzling wires.

It was Bumblebee who found the Legion leader. "Hey guys", she choked, "o-over here."

Saturn Girl had been lying near a wall, underneath a board of wood, which Bumblebee had pulled away, and miraculously, she had been untouched by the fire. But when Brainy knelt to check her pulse, there was none.

"How – how did it happen?" Will asked softly.

Brainy examined the fallen hero. "She suffered a concussion", he said. "A very severe one. She was knocked against this wall forcefully, causing the wooden board to fall on her, and she hit her head." He didn't seem to be able to say anything more. No longer a robot, he was fully capable of human emotions, and there was one particular emotion he was feeling very keenly now: grief.

A stir in the rubble nearby distracted them all. Raven immediately lifted the debris to find a semi-conscious Ruby and her scepter beside her. After an initial moment of amazement, she trapped the villain in a shield of black energy. This seemed to be too much for Lightning Lad.

"This isn't fair!" he burst out. "How come she survives when Saturn Girl di…doesn't?" He couldn't bring himself to say the word 'died.' Instead, his eyes teared up. Cosmic Boy put a solemn hand on his shoulder.

Batman, masking his emotions, observed clinically, "It seems they both jumped out of the way of the fire, but Ruby struck Saturn Girl with something – energy from her scepter, probably – and then that part of the roof collapsed on her."

Brainy, struggling to conceal his feelings, agreed, "It appears you are correct."

Then silence. Nobody knew what to say.

"We should take her back to HQ", Phantom Girl said sadly.

Lightning Lad nodded, trying to fight the tears that were welling up in his eyes. He bent down and tenderly scooped the limp body of the girl he loved into his arms. The tears came freely now, on most of their faces. They didn't bother to hold them back.

**********

Lighting Lad gently laid Saturn Girl on the crystal pyre. Around him, the Titans, W.I.T.C.H., Batman, and Batgirl stood watching somberly. And of course, the entire Legion was there too. All the Legionnaires had been pulled off duty for Saturn Girl's funeral.

Saturn Girl would be laid to rest in the wide, almost empty room underneath Legion HQ, which so far had only one occupant, the giant statue of the long dead Ferro Lad (they hadn't found his body, but they had held the memorial service in this room). Some had thought Saturn Girl should be buried on Titan, her home moon, but they were immediately shot down by the others. Saturn Girl was, above all else, a Legionnaire, and should be buried on Earth, the same planet that housed Legion HQ. Her body would be encased in crystal, immortalized forever.

Then the speeches began. Will spoke first, on W.I.T.C.H.'s behalf.

"I only knew Saturn Girl a short time", Will began. "But during that time, I learned that she was heroic, courageous, determined, and kind. I recognized in her a kindred spirit. She taught me what being a hero really means, and even though I'm not a Legionnaire, I felt her death as keenly as anyone in this room. She was a wonderful girl, and a great hero."

Robin went next, saying more or less the same things Will had mentioned, adding that he was proud to have been able to meet her and that he was glad the future still had heroes like her who would defend the innocents.

Batman said that he was honored to know her and had felt privileged to fight alongside her.

Then Superman spoke. "The first time I met Saturn Girl", he said, "I was a skeptical, reserved person, afraid to show the world what I could do. She helped me to realize that that wasn't who I was. She convinced me to come to the future with her, and because I came here, I learned a lot about myself and what I could do."

He went on to say how she was a true hero and how he would miss her. When Superman finished Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy approached the podium, but Lightning Lad did the talking.

"As most of you know, Rokk, Imra, and I founded the Legion", he said, referring to them all by name. "And really, we wouldn't have if Imra hadn't been on that cruiser. In a way, she started this. If it hadn't been for her, we never would have known about the assassination attempt on R.J. Brande before it happened, and none of this would have occurred." He paused. "Rokk and I have known Imra a long time. And we've learned that she was loyal, brave, and good - and a true friend. She gave her life so the universe would be safe, and we all owe it to her that we're still here. May we all remember her as the wonderful girl, great Legionnaire, and the hero she really was. She was Saturn Girl!"

Immediately after that, all the Legionnaires raised their fists into the air and chorused, "Long live the Legion!"

Then it happened. A low voice began singing, and it didn't seem to come from anywhere. At first the words were incomprehensible, but then the voice became clearer and clearer, singing in a strange but beautiful language and conveying the feelings of loss, sorrow, and new hope. A bright light coalesced around the crystal pyre that bore Saturn Girl and formed the intangible shape of a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes – a woman who bore a remarkable resemblance to the girl they had all come to honor.

The singing intensified as tears streamed down the woman's face, and now everyone could hear that the song came from her. And two words came clearly from her.

"My daughter, my daughter."

The woman was Saturn Girl's mother! But she wasn't really there. She raised her translucent face to the startled heroes and said, "Hear me well, Legion. I have come to inform you of a hope the mystics on Titan have seen. All is not yet lost."

They didn't dare hope, but could she possibly mean…?

Saturn Girl's mother continued, "Yes, my daughter is dead. But she is not yet gone forever. There is yet a chance she may be revived."

At this, everyone began listening intently.

Saturn Girl's mother began singing again, but this time the words were in English.

"Travel thee to the heart of Thebe

Where gold-crowned Phoebe rests un-impede.

She shall grant you the Star of Phoebe

If you sway her with your plea.

Go ye then to the place of Rhea;

She shall show Kronos the way –

But only if she believes in you

Will she help you in what you do.

When Kronos comes give him the Star;

He shall use it to see afar.

But even Kronos can do naught alone

And he will summon the Underworld's throne.

Hades' wife will aid you if

You can answer right her gift.

But should you answer wrong, beware;

Persephone will be forced to collect her fare.

Hurry, Legion, while time lasts,

For if three days without luck go past,

Then forever shall hope be lost

And nothing will happen at any cost.

But if Fortune smiles down upon you

Then be queenly promise made true.

And if you surrender the gem of a world

Then again shall walk the girl."

Then the figure of light disappeared, leaving behind many stunned, hopeful heroes. Then Lightning Lad turned to Brainy.

"Is it true?" he whispered, hardly daring to hope. "Can Saturn Girl be revived?"

Brainy looked uncomfortable. The whole idea did, after all, go against his morals (remember what a hard time he had admitting that magic existed?) "I…uh…I am not certain…maybe…the Titanian mystics are usually more reliable than other such beings."

"We're gonna to have to hurry", Cyborg said. "Phoebe is on one side of Saturn, and Rhea is on the other."

"Actually", Brainy countered, "Thebe is a moon of Jupiter."

"The lady said, '...where gold-crowned Phoebe rests un-impede'", Cyborg contradicted.

"She also said, 'Travel thee to the heart of Thebe'", Brainy argued.

"Thebe and Phoebe are synonymous names", Cyborg stated. "And Phoebe was – is, I suppose – a Titan, and most of the Titans collected around Saturn."

"Excuse me", Starfire interrupted, "you are saying that this Phoebe was once one of us, yes?"

"No, Star", Robin explained. "We're talking about the Titans of Greek mythology – the gods."

"Oh." She looked rather intimidated.

Brainy mulled over Cyborg's answer. "Very well", he said at last. "Most records of Greek mythology were lost during the Great Crisis, so you probably know more about it than I do. I'll go prep the cruiser with Bouncing Boy."

"Who'll be going?" Taranee asked.

"Ten Legionnaires", Lightning Lad said firmly. "We'll travel faster that way."

"Take five people off that number and include us", Will stated.

"No way!" Beast Boy cried. "You're not leaving us behind."

"We can't all go", Phantom Girl pointed out.

"So take five Legionnaires, two Guardians, two Titans, and me", Batgirl said.

"Are we including Saturn Girl in this count?" Timber Wolf asked pointedly.

"No", Cosmic Boy said, at the same time Lightning Lad declared, "Yes." They glared at each other.

"We're wasting time", Raven said.

"It will only take twelve hours to get to Thebe – Phoebe – and another two to get to Rhea. We've got plenty of time", Cosmic Boy said confidently.

"We don't know how long it will take for Kronos or Persephone to get to Rhea, and we don't know how long it'll take for us to answer Persephone's riddle", Robin pointed out.

And so on and so forth. They all wanted to go, and they were all pushing for it. Finally Bumblebee had enough.

"Quiet!" she yelled. There was a sudden silence. "Saturn Girl only has three days, and we've already wasted twenty minutes arguing about who's going to go." She glared at them. "Here's how we're gonna do it", she declared firmly. "Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, Brainiac 5, Bouncing Boy, Triplicate Girl and Phantom Girl will represent the Legionnaires. Raven and Beast Boy will represent the Titans, and I'll represent Titans East. And Will and Cornelia will come along with Batgirl. That brings the total to twelve people and Saturn Girl. Satisfied?"

An indignant babble began.

"No way am I staying behind!" Cyborg yelled.

"We're going with Will!" Taranee insisted.

"You can't be the only East Titan going!" howled Speedy.

"Are you kidding?" Cham demanded. "I'm coming along."

"I must go to the aid of my friend!" Starfire cried.

"QUIET!!!!" Bumblebee bellowed again. "I picked each person for their abilities. We need as varied a range of powers as possible, and most of us must be able to fly. Cham, with Beast Boy coming, we don't need another shape shifter. Starfire, we've already got Raven and Cosmic Boy. Speedy, no offense, but I don't think arrows are gonna help us much. Taranee, I don't think we're going to need fire control. And Sparky", Bumblebee addressed Cyborg, "Lightning Lad and I can do just as well. Now we can all sit around here and argue some more, or we can get going and save as much time as possible."

Silence.

"Oh, all right", Lightning Lad grumbled. "Brainy, is the cruiser ready?" he spoke into his Legion ring.

"Yes", the holographic Brainy replied. "What's taking you so long?"

"We're coming." Lightning Lad picked up Saturn Girl's limp form. "Let's go", he said.

One by one, the chosen members of the team broke away from the main group.

"Ready?" Bouncing Boy asked from his seat. He would be piloting the cruiser. "All right then, let's take off!" He pulled back a gear, and the cruiser's engines revved to life, thrusting it up and into the air.

**_A/N: Oh-oh! So there _is _a way to save Saturn Girl after all. Who would've known? Me, of course. You didn't actually think I'd kill off one of my favourite characters, would you? Of course, you didn't exactly know that Saturn Girl is one of that number, so.....Anyway, next chapter: They meet with a goddess -_** **_two godesses, in fact -_** _**and a god! Intimidating, much?**_

**Disclaimer: I still don't see why I have to do this for every chapter - saying it once at the beginning is enough, isn't it? But here it is anyway: I don't own **_Legion of Superheroes, Teen Titans, Batman, _**or **_W.I.T.C.H._


	10. Of Moons and Gods

**Chapter 10**

It took them several hours to reach Phoebe, one of Saturn's many moons. Once they landed, very carefully, they all disembarked, except for Bouncing Boy and Triplicate Girl. Bouncing Boy said he'd keep an eye out for any enemies, and Triplicate Girl said she'd watch Saturn Girl.

"She'll be fine", she assured the anxious Lightning Lad. "Go."

Reluctantly, the young hothead pulled away and flew after his teammates, who were already in the air, most using either their Legion rings or inborn ability, Beast Boy as a hawk, and Raven carrying Batgirl on a platform of black energy.

"This feels weird", Batgirl muttered.

"Brainy, which direction is the heart of Thebe?" Cosmic Boy asked.

"Turn west", Brainy answered.

Brainy directed them to an area of the moon where deep craters covered the surface, and they landed there.

"I've never been on a moon before", Cornelia remarked a bit distantly. "It feels different."

"So where's this Phoebe we're supposed to find?" Bumblebee asked, looking around and eyeing the dark stone cave ahead of them.

Brainy shrugged helplessly. "Like I said, we don't know much about Greek mythology."

"Maybe I should have brought Cyborg instead", Bumblebee muttered.

"I studied Greek mythology in junior high", Batgirl interjected. "According to the textbook, Phoebe lives in a hidden place on this moon, and we have to call her out. They haven't discovered that cave yet in my time, but I'm guessing that's the entrance."

"How are we going to find her?" Phantom Girl asked.

"We could always do this." Beast Boy cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hey, Phoebe!!"

Cosmic Boy grabbed him and demanded, "What do you think you're doing, you idiot?" while Raven glared daggers at him. But before the empath could do anything permanent, a soft, strange feminine voice resonated over the crater field.

_"Who calls me?"_

Raven glanced all around and back at Beast Boy, who gulped.

"What do you know?" he said feebly, "It worked." Raven sighed and rolled her eyes.

"We're a delegation", Cosmic Boy called out in his usual pompous, I'm-the-leader manner.

_"Be more specific."_

Lightning Lad snorted a bit. "I think you're ticking her off, Cos." He raised his voice. "We're representatives of several teams. We need your help."

_"I desire that the one who called me answer."_

Beast Boy swallowed. "Ah…"

_"Speak, whoever you are. I would hear what you have to say."_

"Hi…er…goddess…ma'am…miss…" Beast Boy stammered.

"Beast Boy", Raven said threateningly. "Do us all a favor and shut up. Phoebe!" she called in a loud voice. "I am the daughter of Trigon, one of those who were under your brother's rule in the Underworld."

There was a pause.

_"Daughter of Trigon, approach the cave."_

Raven complied, walking toward the dark cave directly ahead of them.

There were a few tense seconds as Raven stepped into the shadow of the cave, seemingly without fear. Then, very slowly, a bright light emerged from the cave.

The light was blue with white stars and speckles moving about in it. The speckles kept changing color, from blue to mauve, pink, yellow, and then finally back to blue. Then the light faded, revealing the lithe figure of a woman.

She appeared to be about thirty, with pale, golden-brown hair that was piled on top of her head, and her eyes were deep and soulful, and they too, kept changing color – from blue to green to brown to black and then blue again. Her skin was smooth and lovely, and she was barefoot. The neckline of her soft pale blue silk dress was a deep V, the seams meeting in the middle of her chest, below which was a sash and a trailing skirt. But the objects that drew the most attention were the gleaming golden circlet on her brow and the sparkling, twelve-pointed star she wore on a fine chain around her neck.

Phoebe looked around at the assembled heroes. "Why have you come here?" she asked.

"We're here about the Protector of the Universe", Phantom Girl said before anyone else.

"The Daughter of Titan?" Phoebe inquired questioningly. "What about her?"

"Well, she's…she's…" Phantom Girl faltered.

Phoebe sighed. "So, it has happened."

"Er – yeah", Beast Boy said. He paused. "Define 'it.'"

Phoebe looked at him. "Green one, I am a Titan, one of the first races of gods. We read the skies and deduce the future."

"Yes, it's happened", Lightning Lad interrupted, glaring at Beast Boy. "And we need the Star of Phoebe."

"Lightning Lad!" Phantom Girl scolded.

Phoebe fingered the flashing pendant on her chest. "Has she fulfilled the prophecies?"

"Yes", Phantom Girl replied, giving the others a shut-up-and-let-me-do-the-talking-I'm-the-one-who-studied-the-prophecies look. They took the hint.

"All of them?"

"Yes."

"The Mechanical One?"

"Dead and gone."

"The Queen of Rubies?"

"In custody of the Legion."

Phoebe considered. "Is she worthy?"

"Definitely", Phantom Girl answered, although the others had no idea what Phoebe meant by 'worthy.'

The goddess thought for a while. "Let me see her", she said finally.

"Um…we left her with two others", Phantom Girl said. "They're this way."

"Show me."

"Er…" Phantom Girl looked flustered. "We kind of flew here, Your Eminence."

"So we will walk." Phoebe started strolling. "Are you going to lead me to her or not?"

"Yes", Phantom Girl said, hurrying to the front.

The heroes walked along at the agonizingly slow pace that Phoebe set. She did not seem concerned about how long it took to get there. Lightning Lad and the others chafed at the delay, but none dared to confront the Titan goddess.

Finally, after an hour of walking, they reached the cruiser. But when they were a few feet away, Phoebe stopped.

"Bring her here", she commanded.

"She's inside", Lightning Lad said, confused.

Phoebe fixed him with a stare. "I am aware of that. Bring her here, where I can observe her under the light of my home."

Grumbling slightly, Lightning Lad went inside the cruiser.

"Without any inorganic materials", Phoebe added.

Soon, Lightning Lad carried Saturn Girl out in his arms and gently laid her on the ground. Phoebe approached the Legionnaire and touched her left temple.

To the others assembled around, it seemed as though Phoebe was doing nothing except staring intently at Saturn Girl's pale face. It was almost completely dark on the moon, and the heroes couldn't imagine what Phoebe could see by the dim sunlight that her moon reflected. But Phoebe seemed satisfied, because she rose after a few minutes and exhaled deeply.

"So it has been done", the goddess said to no one in particular. "The terms of the prophecies have been met, and now the Daughter of Titan lies at my feet with the tiniest spark of life still present within her. She has done her duty; now I must do mine." She reached to her neck and lifted the long gold chain of her necklace over her head and offered it to Raven. The pale, silvery blue jewel in the middle of the pendant flashed brightly and then dulled as it left the goddess' hands.

"A word of advice, Legion", Phoebe said then, "Though you have little time, you must rest. My brother's wife will not be easily persuaded, and Persephone's contribution will take you longer than you think. If you are to have any hope of succeeding in your quest, you must retain your strength. This is but the first day; stay here for the night. You may leave in the morning. But I can only offer you a place. I have no food or water; I do not need it. Good luck, Legion." She began walking away. "Oh", she added as she stopped, "there is no need for you to see me before you depart." And then she disappeared into the distance.

**********

The next morning, Bouncing Boy awoke early and had a sandwich for breakfast before gently taking off. Most of the other heroes were still sleeping, but he knew they would wake up before they reached Rhea.

Sure enough, well before they reached Rhea's moon, Cosmic Boy strode into the control room. "How long, Bouncing Boy?" he asked.

"76 minutes", Bouncing Boy replied as he maneuvered Saturn's rings. They neared a big moon.

"That's Titan", Cosmic Boy said, looking up. "Saturn Girl's home."

"Would being this close to it evoke any sort of reaction?"

"Not likely", Brainy said, walking in and overhearing Bouncing Boy's question. "In all technicality, she's dead."

"Thanks, Brainy", Bouncing Boy said sourly. "Thanks for reminding us of what we don't want to be reminded of. I'd have thought becoming human would make you more sensitive."

Brainy looked at him. "It's only been a year, Bouncing Boy", he said, slightly defensively. "I'm still getting used to it."

They arrived at Rhea, the second-largest moon of Saturn, not too long after. Bouncing Boy again volunteered to stay behind, but Will put her foot down.

"I get the feeling we're all supposed to go this time. This is when the real action begins", she said. Bouncing Boy shrugged and put the cruiser on stealth mode before following the rest of them, Lightning Lad carrying Saturn Girl.

"What did the poem say, Brainy?" Batgirl asked.

"'Go ye then to the place of Rhea/She shall show Kronos the way/But only if she believes in you/Will she…'"

"All right, all right!" Batgirl said hastily. "You don't have to recite the whole thing. Does it say anything of where to find her?"

"No", came the reply.

After another 30 minutes of searching, Cosmic Boy grew tired of it. "All right, this isn't working", he said. "We should split up and…"

"No way, Cos", Lightning Lad disagreed. "Not a good idea at all. What if one of us finds her and then she doesn't want to wait around for the rest of the group?"

"Besides", Raven said, "I don't think you'll have to." She pointed at a figure moving in the distance, coming toward them.

They waited for Rhea to approach them. When she did, she immediately asked, "What are you doing here?"

Her dress and countenance were similar to Phoebe's, but her hair was fair and let down so that it fell to her feet. She also wore no circlet on her head, but on her chest rested a golden, twelve-pointed star just like Phoebe's."We've come to ask your help", Phantom Girl said, nudging Lightning Lad with her elbow. "Phoebe sent us."

Rhea examined them with her brown eyes. "And why", she said, "should I believe you?"

"We have her necklace", Will said. "She gave it to us."

"You could have stolen it."

"I am the daughter of Trigon", Raven said. Even though Rhea looked slightly surprised by that, she was not convinced.

"And you could be following in your father's footsteps", she pointed out.

"No way!" Beast Boy cried. "In fact, she totally kicked his butt last year."

"Ahem", Cosmic Boy coughed meaningfully. Raven understood.

"Beast Boy", she hinted ominously, the tone of her voice quite clearly ordering him to shut up before he got into serious trouble.

"Forgive me if I seem distrustful, daughter of Trigon", Rhea said, with a hint of apology, "but your father gave my husband a great deal of trouble. If indeed you did destroy him, I am grateful. But I do not know for certain if you are telling the truth."

"Would you believe if you saw the Daughter of Titan?" Cosmic Boy asked.

"I already see her. She lies in your comrade's arms."

"I mean if you observed her, like Phoebe did."

"And how did Phoebe observe her?"

"Er...ah...well..." Cosmic Boy floundered. "She sort of...ah...looked at her...um...on the ground...and...well...."

Rhea's eyebrows rose higher and higher.

"Will you consent to examine her?" Phantom Girl put in as Cosmic Boy fell into silence.

Rhea said nothing, but she pointed to the ground.

Lightning Lad hesitantly approached the Titan mother goddess and deposited his precious bundle on the ground in front of her. Rhea lowered herself gracefully to the ground and placed delicate fingers on the Legionnaire's face.

Again, the gathered heroes couldn't even begin to comprehend what Rhea was doing, but after some time she, as Phoebe had done, rose.

"So you do speak the truth", Rhea commented. "And the Daughter of Titan has far exceeded expectations." She lifted her head and began chanting in an ancient, obscure language of the gods. None of them could understand what she was saying, but there was one word that kept being repeated: "Kronos."

There was a strange howling noise that was not a little eerie, causing the Trips to huddle near Bouncing Boy, who looked a little scared himself, and expressions of apprehension were visible on the others' faces.

Then there appeared in the air a black hole that seemed to grow bigger and bigger until it was a large, dark void. Will shuddered as she looked into the gaping emptiness.

Then a figure appeared in the inky blackness. As he moved closer to them, his form became clearer and clearer. Rhea's face was a mystery.

Kronos had the air of a powerful, venerable being. His face was lined, though not from age. His square jaw was set firmly and his features were strong. He wore a long, flowing white robe trimmed with gold that was girdled at the waist and showed off a sliver of his muscular chest. His shoulder-length hair and beard were snow white, and he looked very wise. Around his neck was a gold chain, from which hung his star.

"Rhea", he acknowledged his Titan wife. His voice was deep and rumbling. "Why have you summoned me?"

Rhea squared her shoulders. "The Daughter of Titan has been struck down, as it was written in the heavens", she said flatly. "And as predicted, her comrades have come to seek a way to resurrect her."

Kronos smiled ruefully. "Ah, Rhea, even after all these long centuries?"

"That has nothing to do with the task at hand", Rhea said stiffly. "It is in the past, and I would take it kindly if you would not dwell on it and do your part in reviving the Daughter of Titan."

Kronos said nothing, but he turned to the waiting heroes. "I believe you were to give me something?"

Raven silently retrieved Phoebe's necklace from her cloak and handed it to Kronos. As he took it, he suddenly peered intently into her eyes.

"I recognize in you my old nemesis Trigon", he said to her. "Art thou perchance his relative?"

Raven met the god's gaze steadily, without flinching or stepping back. Her face betrayed no fear or anxiety. "His daughter, my Lord."

If Raven was expecting an attack, it didn't come. Instead, Kronos asked curiously, "How is it you are among those of good?"

Raven met him squarely in the eye. "I am not like my father, my Lord. He was evil, an evil I detested and destroyed. I have chosen my path, and that is why you see me here."

"Indeed." Kronos gave her one last look, then removed his chain from his neck and laid Phoebe's pendant beside his own on his palm, carefully matching up the points. When it came in contact with its brother pendant, the Star of Phoebe shone brightly, as did Kronos' star. Phoebe's silver-blue gem glowed with incandescent light of the same colour, and Kronos' dark, emerald green stone did the same. Rays of bright golden light shot from the points that were not touching each other, extending in all directions. One ray touched a point of Rhea's star, which also began emitting beams of light from its other eleven points, its milky green gem also glowing.

The brilliant golden light caused the heroes to shield their eyes, although they could see that the golden rays extended far past the moon's atmosphere, blazing across the sky like a radiant sun.

Kronos seemed to be generating light himself. His form glowed, bathed in pure golden beams, and his dark eyes shone as he seemed to see things none else could see. The same thing was happening to Rhea.

When the golden light finally faded, Kronos and Rhea did not look any different, but Kronos seemed to know more than he previously had.

"So", he said. "So."

"So what?" Bumblebee asked, a bit hesitantly.

Kronos shook his head rather sadly. "I cannot do what you ask, Legion", he said. Cornelia was starting to get a bit annoyed at the way the Titan gods and goddesses were saying "Legion" as if the rest of them weren't there, but she didn't dare say so. Instead, she listened as Kronos continued, "But I know someone who may."

Replacing his chain around his neck, he lifted the Star of Phoebe and declaimed loudly, "Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, daughter of my son and wife of another, come forth, I summon thee!"

Phoebe's pendant began to glow again, but this time its golden light was accompanied by a faint silver beam that grew brighter and brighter. Then, when the silver light was so intense it outshone the radiance of Phoebe's star, It suddenly vanished, and in its place stood a young, beautiful woman.

The Queen of the Underworld had arrived.

**_A/N: Tan-tan-tara! Here comes Hades' wife! Just so you know, I'll be updating every four days, so you can expect the next update on...let me see...ah, yes - Thursday! Sorry if that seems like a long time, but I do need time to write, you know._**

**Disclaimer: I'm not even going to grumble. I'm just going to say it. Deep breath...I don't own **_Legion of Superheroes, Teen Titans, W-_**Let's just cut it short, shall we? I don't own anything.**


	11. Persephone's Contribution

**Chapter 11**

Persephone was a queenly beauty clothed in soft, flowing silver-grey. Her dark hair was swept up in an elaborate, conical bun at the back of her head, interwoven with tiny pearls and elegant lace. Her skin was smooth and marble white, and the material of her dress whispered as it slid across her arms and legs. Around her neck she wore a silver, six-pointed star with a black stone set in the middle.

"Father of my husband, I am glad to see you well", she said in a lovely, lilting voice. "Hades wishes that you return to the Elysian Fields soon. The souls there are getting restless."

"Persephone", Kronos said, "you remember, do you not, the message written in the stars three millennia ago?"

"Of course", she replied. "It was of such significance, how could any of us forget it?"

"It has come to pass – all of it, save the last."

"Oh?" Her eyebrows lifted ever so slightly.

Kronos nodded. "And they are here. You have had three ages to prepare your answer; are you certain you know what to do?"

"I am certain, Grandfather", Persephone assured him. She turned to the expectant heroes. "Welcome, all of you", she said to them. "Three thousand years ago, a story was written in the sky. It was a story of valour and courage, of hope and strength, of goodness and heroism, of friendship and love. It was a grand tale, full of mysteries and wonders, and its impact reached over three millennia. All the gods, past, present, and future, could not have failed to see the message in the heavens. And now, it has come to this. We are powerful, yes, but gods alone cannot accomplish the immense task placed before us today. If you are to have any hope of bringing the Daughter of Titan back from my husband's realm, you must play your part."

"Wait", Beast Boy said tentatively. "You mean she's already there? In the Underworld, I mean."

Persephone gave him a long look. "Nay", she responded. "Her soul waits in the outer hall, attempting to restrain her entry. But she is tiring, and every hour brings her closer to the gates of Hades' kingdom. Should ye fail in your appointed task, when the sun sets on the morrow, The Daughter of Titan will be one of the Underworld."

An apprehensive silence filled the unnaturally quiet atmosphere of Rhea's moon. Persephone, Kronos, and Rhea were the only ones who seemed unperturbed by the prospect of Saturn Girl hovering on the brink of entering the Underworld.

"What do we have to do?" Triplicate Girl asked in a small voice.

"Would ye hear of the task destiny has laid out before you?" Persephone asked of them. "It will be no mean accomplishment, and great is the price should you fail."

"We're ready for it", Cosmic Boy stated, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt.

Persephone flashed him a glance, and then she reached into the folds of her silken dress and drew out a parchment scroll, yellowed with age and bound by black ribbon, which she gave to Cosmic Boy. "Your mission is outlined for you there. Each of you has a specific part to play, and once you have all accomplished your various tasks, then will we intervene. But be warned, each of you may only perform one task, and you may not help with any others before or after; you may only observe. You would do well to hope that whoever selected you for this group chose well" - Bumblebee gulped a bit - "And you must bring the Daughter of Titan to the planet Saturn, where we will be waiting, one hour before sunset tomorrow. Fare well, heroes. From now until the designated time, you are on your own."

Then the Queen of Hades' kingdom vanished suddenly, as did Kronos. Only Rhea was left, and she walked deliberately away from the team of heroes.

They looked on after the Titan goddess mother's retreating figure for a time, then Raven said, "What does it say?"

Cosmic Boy shook his head to clear it. "What?"

"The scroll", Raven explained patiently. "What does it say?"

Cosmic Boy undid the black ribbon and carefully unrolled the scroll, which was quite long and covered with an assortment of small, obscure glyphs. He turned it this way and that, and then finally said, "I can't read this. It's too darned dark here. I don't even know what these are supposed to be."

Brainy walked over and took the parchment from him, being careful not to grip it too tightly. He laid it flat on the ground and produced a narrow, silver cylindrical object that was the electronic blue-white ray flashlight of the future.

"I always like to come prepared", Brainy remarked as he shone the bright light of the torch onto the parchment. The symbols traced onto the parchment were much clearer now, but they still didn't make any sense.

"How are you going to read that, Brainy?" Phantom Girl asked. "It looks even more complicated to understand than the prophecies were."

"Simple", the twelfth-level intellect replied. "It's a picture language, and just like any picture language, the glyphs each represent something, and they would have to be logical representations. Therefore, all I have to do is decipher what each glyph stands for."

"That could take ages", Cornelia objected.

"Not necessarily", Brainy disagreed. He pointed at a spiky symbol. "This glyph here with the sun and this plant represents the 'color of the sun', which is golden, or yellow. I've arrived at this conclusion because this plant is the one the ancients used to make dye, and this –"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, Brainy. Do you think you could hurry it up a little?" Bouncing Boy asked pointedly.

Brainy chose to ignore that. Instead, he pored over the scroll for a few more minutes before picking it up and saying, "Let's go back to the cruiser. I've got a fair general idea of what it says, but I'll need match it up with other glyphs on the computer to get more detailed information."

So they went back to where they had left the Legion cruiser. Brainy immediately proceeded to run the parchment through the computer and analyze each and every symbol.

It was early afternoon by the time Brainy had finally finished translating the scroll. He then explained to the others what it said.

"Basically, we have to hunt down some ingredients to make a sort of potion that will help revive Saturn Girl", he told them. "Some of these instructions don't make any sense, but I'm almost certain they will when it's time to carry them out. I've transcribed the directions into English for easier interpretation. I've no doubt that when the time comes, we'll want to be able to understand quickly."

"Okay", Will said. "So what's the first thing we're supposed to do?"

"Actually, the first task has already been completed", Brainy informed her. "My job was to translate the scroll, which I have done."

"Great. So does that mean you _can't_ tell us what to do?" Batgirl asked.

"I didn't say that. But I think, to play it safe, I shouldn't." Brainy thrust the paper with the translated instructions to Lightning Lad.

"'Follow the horizon of the mother's moon to the deep dark space'", the Winathian native read. "Okay, that alone doesn't make any sense at all."

"Explaining the clue doesn't count as a task, does it?" Batgirl asked Brainy. He shook his head.

"Lightning Lad, in Greek mythology, Rhea is the mother of all gods", the red-haired crime-fighting teen explained patiently. "'Mother's moon' would mean Rhea's moon, which is here. 'Following the horizon' would simply mean traveling parallel to the horizon here. 'Deep dark space' could mean a crater, but I'm not entirely certain. Still, it's a start."

"I'll set a parallel course from the horizon", Bouncing Boy said promptly, and he turned to the control panel and punched in some coordinates while Triplicate Girl looked something up on the computer. The cruiser began moving.

"We'll have to look out for a big hole or a crater or something", Batgirl was saying. "Something that looks deep and dark."

"The biggest crater on Rhea is just a few miles ahead of us", Triplicate Girl reported.

"Is it deep?" Cosmic Boy inquired.

"Fairly."

"I think that's our place. Let's figure out the next sentence. Read it, Garth", he said to his friend.

"'To go where no man has gone before, keep the flower of snow with you'?" Lightning Lad recited quizzically. "Brainy, are you sure you translated this right? It doesn't seem to be related to the previous sentence at all."

"How should I know why that is?" Brainy asked exasperatedly. "The gods have higher intelligence levels than I do, Lightning Lad. I don't know everything. I just translated it to the best of my ability and put it down in our language. It's the best translation I could get."

"Wait, are you actually admitting that you don't know all there is to know?" Beast Boy joked. He then cowered under the terrifying glare Raven gave him. "Ah…just trying to…lighten up the mood…a bit…" He gulped.

"Well, if you look at it this way", Will said philosophically before the argument could progress further, "we're trying to do what no one has ever done before: to revive someone from death. That would be the phrase, 'where no man has gone before'. No mortals have achieved that feat."

"What about 'flower of snow'?" Beast Boy queried, still eyeing Raven warily. "There isn't any flower made of snow, is there?"

"I honestly don't know", the Guardian admitted. "There could be, for all I know. But I do know that the flower we're looking for is white. The description could be literal, or it could refer to the color of snow, which is white."

"You sound like Taranee", Cornelia commented.

"I must be having too many study sessions with her."

"Would this flower be in the crater we're looking for?" Bumblebee asked.

"You got me." Will shrugged. "But it should be, if these instructions are in chronological order."

"Whose task is it?" Raven asked Lightning Lad, who was still holding the paper.

"It doesn't say", he replied. "I suppose we'll know when we get there."

"Which is in about a minute", Bouncing Boy told them from his pilot's seat.

Sure enough, they began the descent toward the crater approximately sixty seconds later.

"Bouncing Boy!" Brainy howled. "Are you trying to crush the flower, if it _is _in there?! Don't land _in _the crater, land _beside _it!"

"Oh." Bouncing Boy looked sheepish. "Sorry." He adjusted their landing route. "In my own defense, I wasn't listening to what you were saying", he said once the cruiser had touched the ground. "In case you didn't notice, I was piloting the cruiser. It's not that easy, you know."

"That's what the auto-compensators are for", Brainy said pointedly, crossing his arms and sounding slightly triumphant, as if he had won a debate with a well-placed argument. He had been trying to get the bouncy hero to use that subsystem ever since he designed it three years ago.

"But what's the fun without a little risk?" Bouncing Boy asked as he stepped onto the ramp to exit the cruiser. Brainy rolled his eyes as he followed his friend out. Humor. Even if he spent a hundred years as a human, he doubted he would ever understand that strange concept.

In front of the cruiser was a large, deep black hole. In the inky darkness, Cornelia sensed a flower.

"Guys, there's a flower down there", she said to the others.

"Is it white?" Batgirl asked. Cornelia planted her feet on the ground next to the crater, trying to recall what Kadma, the former Earth Guardian, had told her about identifying plants.

"It's white", the Keeper of Earth confirmed. "I think that's what we're looking for."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Lightning Lad asked, jumping into the crater. Immediately some unseen force pushed him back, and he landed on his back about five feet away from the hole.

"Ouch", he groaned, rubbing his back.

"Cornelia, what's the report on the flower?" Will asked.

"It…seems to have some kind of force field around it…" Cornelia's eyes were closed, and her face was peaceful as she swayed gently. Will wasn't alarmed – this was what happened when Cornelia connected with any plant.

"Where exactly is the force field?" Brainy asked.

"It fills the entire crater", Cornelia replied.

"So none of us can get in or penetrate it?" Raven asked.

"No – I mean yes", Cornelia said, opening her eyes. "Not even your telekinetic powers could reach it."

"Then how do we get it?" Bumblebee asked peevishly. She wouldn't admit it, but she was feeling a little worried. Persephone had said they would do well to hope that the one who had chosen them had chosen well. Bumblebee had chosen the team, and she was feeling rather anxious. What if she hadn't picked right?

"We need to raise the flower up to our level – out of the force field. This is my task", Cornelia said determinedly.

They looked at each other doubtfully. What if it wasn't her task and she was needed much more for another task later on?

Their expressions must have given them away, because Cornelia demanded, "Look, no one else can raise the earth or control plants, can they?"

Guiltily, they exchanged glances and then looked at her.

"I didn't think so." Cornelia sounded just a bit smug. "Now step aside, people, and prepare to be amazed."

She stepped toward the crater and placed her hands on the ground. Then she concentrated, using all the power at her disposal (Will had transformed the two of them for the mission) to raise the crater. At first nothing happened. Then, slowly, but surely, the crater began to change. The middle, deepest part of it was gradually forming a dome, atop which was the tiny, snow-white flower. The earth that bore the flower continued to inch its way upward at Cornelia's command. All eyes were on that rising section of earth, and they held their breath as they waited.

Finally, Cornelia collapsed, due to the amount of energy she had used, but it was enough – if only just. The flower was just above the rim of the crater.

While Beast Boy turned into a bird and flew to the flower, Will and Batgirl were helping the exhausted Cornelia up.

"It's okay, Cornelia", Will was saying. "You did good."

Beast Boy returned with the flower in his beak and gave it to Raven, who looked puzzled as she took it. Then he glared defiantly at Cosmic Boy.

"Well?" he said.

"I didn't say anything", Cosmic Boy said.

"It doesn't violate any rules, does it?"

"Don't think so."

"Good."

Then the heroes made their way back to the cruiser to decipher the next clue.

**_A/N: Hi all! Told you it'd come on Wednesday, didn't I? Sorry if it's a bit short, but it was appropriate to end it here. _**

**Disclaimer: Look, if I owned any characters above, I'd be exceedingly rich and wouldn't be posting this up on FanFiction. Does that tell you whether I own anything?**


	12. Meanwhile

**Chapter 12**

Caleb sat on a couch, trying to figure out how to operate a – what had they called it? A holiopath? Heliopad? Holopad? Yes, that was it – a holopad. And he wasn't having much success.

"Stupid thing", he muttered, holding it in his left hand and pressing any and every button with his right hand. "As if the remotes on Earth weren't complicated enough, I had to go and get myself thrust a thousand years into the future, where the equipment's even worse. What does this thing do, anyway?" He accidentally pressed the button to switch the device on, and the holopad jumped to life, displaying a translucent digital screen.

Caleb yelped and dropped the apparatus. Fortunately it landed on the soft cushion, where it lay innocently, its screen disappearing. Caleb scowled at it before giving up. He shuffled toward the kitchen to make a sandwich, but to his frustration he didn't find anything that remotely resembled what he usually ate on Earth.

"Darned future", he grumbled. "It was complicated enough trying to understand the 21st century Earth, and now this? I ought to…" He continued to vent at the cupboards for several more minutes before Chameleon Boy walked in.

"Oh…hi", Caleb said, stopping his verbal rampage against the futuristic devices.

Chameleon Boy raised an eyebrow. "Were you just calling the 31st century a 'time of ridiculously complicated instruments and utterly confusing, useless things'?"

"Er…" Caleb looked sheepish.

"Can't say I don't agree with that", the Durlan shape-shifter said, cracking into a wide grin. "I tell you, the number of electronic toys and visual graphic games these days…although I must admit I do enjoy some video games every once in a while…some, mind you, not all – some of them are just stupid – you know what I mean…" He went to a cupboard and took out a jar of cookies. "Want one?" he offered the jar to Caleb, who looked cautiously into it.

"And what are these?" the Meridian warrior asked suspiciously. "Chewy, rubbery things that taste like they sound?"

Chameleon Boy looked puzzled. "No." He dug his hand into the jar and withdrew a chocolate cookie, which he proceeded to chomp on. "This, my friend", he said between mouthfuls, "is the delicious, crunchy goodness of a perfectly baked chocolate chip cookie that comes straight from the loving hands of…Timber Wolf!"

Caleb stared. "Timber Wolf?" he asked incredulously. "You're telling me…these cookies…Timber Wolf…you're saying _he _baked them?"

"Uh-huh", Cham replied, choosing another cookie.

Caleb looked at him in amazement before shaking his head. "I don't think I want any. I'd hate to think what he'd do to me if I took one without his permission."

"I thought you were brave." Cham swallowed the last bit of his cookie and dipped his hand into the jar again.

"I may be brave, but I'm not stupid. Have you _seen _the claws on his hands? I don't particularly want to be scratched by those. Don't you have any peanut butter or anything?"

"You mean butter with peanuts in it?"

Caleb gave up. "Never mind", he told the Legionnaire. "How about some bread?"

"We ran out."

"Chocolate milk?"

"Haven't bought any yet this month."

Caleb threw his hands up. "Don't you have _anything _worth eating here?"

"If you want them, we've got some packets of nutritious corn chips", Dream Girl said, walking in and overhearing the last sentence.

"Nutritious?" Caleb repeated dubiously. "In my time, that usually implies something that isn't very tasty."

"You might be surprised", Dream Girl told him. "And you", she said sharply to Chameleon Boy, "Get your hands out of that jar. Some of us would like some cookies sometimes too, you know. And have you any idea what Timber Wolf would do to you if he found out you finished _another _batch?"

"It's not like he's going to find out it was me."

"Oh, he'll know. And do you want to know what I dreamed he'd do to you if you did finish it?" Dream Girl asked suggestively.

"You _didn't_!" Chameleon Boy gasped, suddenly thrusting the cookie he was holding (his fourth one so far) away from him.

"But you're not entirely sure, are you?" Dream Girl arched an eyebrow. "Do you really want to risk it?"

Cham gulped and hurriedly closed the cookie jar, returned it to its place, and strived to look as innocent as possible while Caleb snorted.

"I didn't think so." Dream Girl rummaged in the fridge and held up a glass jar. "I believe you are familiar with this."

Caleb examined the contents of the jar carefully. "Peanut butter!" he exclaimed. He turned to Cham. "You said there wasn't any!" he accused.

"I never said that."

"You sounded like you didn't even know what it was!"

"I don't."

"What?" Caleb asked, confused. He shook his head. "Okay, now I'm officially lost."

"Durlans don't eat peanut butter", Dream Girl explained. "Their planet's atmosphere isn't suitable for cultivating peanuts, and it costs too much to import it."

"But there's no bread", Caleb pointed out. "How do I eat peanut butter without bread?"

Dream Girl shrugged. "You could always spread it on some crackers", she suggested, doing it herself.

Caleb sighed. "Forget it." He made his way to the detention cells in another part of Legion HQ, where Robin and several others were busy interrogating the prisoners.

"Any luck?" he asked the Titan leader, who was watching Timber Wolf question Poison Ivy in the room beyond theirs through a one-way mirror – an extremely advanced, high-tech one.

"Some", Robin replied. "Ruby approached Ivy on Earth in the 21st century and proposed a plan to take over the world. If Ivy helped her, Ruby would ensure that she got to revenge herself on Batgirl."

"How did Ruby ever convince Ivy to accept Saturn Girl's deal?"

Robin's face darkened into a deep scowl. "Treachery", he growled. "Ruby planned to detain Saturn Girl and then continue with her plan when she was finished with her. She never intended to keep her end of the bargain."

"Is there anything else you're keeping from us, Ivy?" Timber Wolf was saying. "Because if you are…" He growled menacingly.

Ivy sighed and rolled her eyes, remarkably calm and composed, considering her situation. "Look, furball", she said impatiently, "I've already told you all I know. You want the details, ask the boss. I was just the help." She scowled. "Of course, if I'd known we'd end up facing an entire horde of superheroes and get landed in your ultra-modern detention cells, I'd never have helped that primped up, insufferably bossy know-it-all."

Timber Wolf observed her carefully for a while, and then he got up and exited the room without a word.

"Do you think she's telling the truth?" Robin asked the feral hero when he reached them.

Timber Wolf shrugged. "Hard to say, but she probably is. She's pretty vindictive, and she feels Ruby double-crossed her. I think she's right, though. We should begin interrogating Ruby before she decides to escape. Takron Galtose's the only completely safe place for _her_."

Robin nodded, although he had no idea where or what Takron Galtose was.

"Any news from the others?" Caleb asked.

Timber Wolf frowned. "I'm not sure. Ivy's been taking up most of my time. Why don't you check with Speedy and Colossal Boy? They've been monitoring communication channels."

"I think I will. Thanks for the suggestion." Caleb turned to leave.

"And help yourself to the cookies, if you want them", Timber Wolf called after him. "Just don't let Chameleon Boy get anywhere near you while you're doing that."

Caleb cringed. It was too late for that. He rather hurriedly went to the room from which the Legion communicated with others over long distances via the advanced computer systems. To his surprise, Starfire was with Speedy and Colossal Boy.

"Is there no news at all?" Starfire was saying imploringly.

"Ask him." Speedy jerked a thumb in Colossal Boy's direction. He seemed slightly surly. "I can't understand any of this. It's way too high-tech for me. I don't even know what I'm doing here."

Starfire turned hopeful eyes on Colossal Boy, but he shook his head. "No. No news at all. I left a message, though. If it got through, and if they can, they'll reply."

Caleb decided not to disturb them, and he had already got his answer, anyway, so he ventured off in search of Matt and the other Guardians who had not gone to the moons.

He found Irma chatting with Shrinking Violet in one of the common rooms.

"So I splashed her, you know?" Irma was grinning widely as she recounted how she had defeated Ember to Violet. "And she went out like a light bulb and fell – oh, what was it? – a hundred feet?"

"That's excellent!" Violet exclaimed. "Defeat fire with water!" She frowned slightly. "But what's a light bulb?"

"What's a light bulb?" Irma repeated incredulously. "Are you saying you don't have light bulbs here? How do you get your light?"

"We have neo-plasma bars that are fixed to the ceiling. They make better use of the electricity, and they're more environmental-friendly, too."

"Oh. Okay, well, a light bulb…"

Hay Lin was in her room, designing clothes – as usual – dreamily drawing futuristic features onto 21st-century clothing. Through her open door, Caleb saw she had already managed to collect some shiny cloth that was lying in a heap on her bed.

Caleb finally located Matt in the game room, and he immediately challenged him to the futuristic version of their favorite game.

"You sure you can take the heat?" Matt asked smugly as the game began.

"Definitely", Caleb shot back confidently.

_**A/N: Yes, I know this chapter was a little short, but things were getting a bit serious, and I thought the story needed to be lightened up a little. This little baby was just the thing - a little comic relief centering around Caleb's inability to adapt to technology. The next chapter will return to Saturn Girl and the others. Well, not so much Saturn Girl, but you know what I mean. Thanks to all the reviewers (although there haven't been very many so far - come on, people! How am I supposed to know what you think if you don't say so? And if you don't review, how do I improve?).**_

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything above, I'd be rich beyond my wildest dreams. Since I'm not rich beyond my wildest dreams, I obviously don't own this. I mean, I own the story plot but little else.**


	13. A Trip to Jupiter

**Chapter 13**

"What?!" Lightning Lad exclaimed in disbelief. "'Go thee to the planet Jupiter for the red dust of eons past'? What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" he exploded.

"Well, obviously, we have to go to Jupiter." Beats Boy scratched his head. "Wherever that is."

"You don't even know where Jupiter is?" Cosmic Boy asked disbelievingly. "Man, are you dumb."

"Hey!" Beast Boy cried indignantly.

"I'm getting tired of this", Bumblebee muttered to Raven.

"Now you know how I feel", Raven whispered back. "With Cyborg, it's even worse."

"I know what you mean. Speedy and Aqualad are at it all the time."

"There's red dust _everywhere _on Jupiter!" Lightning Lad proclaimed. "What red dust does this passage refer to?"

"Correction", Brainy said. "Jupiter does not have red dust everywhere. In fact, there's only one specific place about Jupiter that's described as 'red'."

"And where might that be?" Lightning Lad asked, his voice heavy with sarcastic skepticism.

"Thousands, possibly millions of years ago", Brainy began, "Something colossal collided with Jupiter. Its impact left a giant hole large enough to fit three Earths in the planet's surface. When it was discovered, it became known as the Great Red Spot."

"Is the dust in there actually red?" Batgirl asked curiously.

"I honestly don't know." Brainy shrugged. "But I do know that it's the only place on Jupiter described as red."

"That still doesn't help, Brainy", Lightning Lad complained. "How do we know that's the dust we're looking for if we don't know whether it's actually red? We could go all the way there and find white dust - or yellow dust, for that matter – and we'd have made a side trip that did nothing but waste our time!"

"Whoa, slow down, Lightning Lad", Phantom Girl said placatingly. "We're _all _worried about Saturn Girl, you know."

Lightning Lad looked slightly ashamed. "Sorry", he mumbled.

"Let's look at this logically", Beast Boy said. "What?" he asked as amazed glances that plainly stated, 'Logic, _you_?' were thrown his way.

"Nothing", Raven said emotionlessly. "Go on."

Still suspicious, Beast Boy continued, "Well, the sentence probably means the dust in the Great Red Spot, right? I mean, since Brainy said Jupiter is not described as red in any other place. Couldn't it be a figurative meaning? As in, 'red dust' translating to 'Great Red Spot Dust'?"

There was a profound silence that dragged on so long even Beast Boy began to blush.

"That – that's…Ahem", Cosmic Boy cleared his throat rather awkwardly. "That's brilliant! I never would have thought it of you. Are you _sure _you didn't drink an intelligence potion by mistake?"

"No!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Wait – do you actually have intelligence potions here?"

"Never mind", Cosmic Boy told him. He raised his voice. "Bouncing Boy, set a course for Jupiter's Great Red Spot."

"No problem", Bouncing Boy replied.

They landed in the middle of the enormous hole in Jupiter three hours later, and once they had parked the cruiser they began looking for any dust there might be.

"Yikes!" Beast Boy cried. He turned to Bouncing Boy. "Are you sure we're in the crater? 'Cause this doesn't look like one."

"It's too big for you to see the edge, Beast Boy", Bouncing Boy explained. "This hole's three times bigger than Earth, and we're right in the middle of it."

"Ah."

They continued walking a bit more (If they flew, they wouldnt be able to see the red dust). Then they came across an area that was covered in a film of fine dust.

"Hey, look", Triplicate Girl said, bending down and scooping a handful of the dusty red soil. "The dust _is_ red."

The others looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What?" demanded Triplicate Girl.

They didn't answer her. Instead, Bumblebee looked at Brainy. Brainy scratched his head. "This seems too easy to be a task", he murmured. "But I suppose we never know. Let's go back to the ship."

They all turned and began flying back, but as Triplicate Girl landed lightly on her feet on the ramp leading into the cruiser, the red dust began to slither out of her cupped hands.

"Hey!" she exclaimed in surprise. Her teammates turned toward her.

"What?" Bouncing Boy asked.

"The dust – look!" Triplicate Girl tried cupping her hands even tighter, but the red sand continued to disappear until none was left. Dumbfounded, the heroes stared at each other.

"It would appear that the dust cannot be taken into the ship", Brainy observed.

"Maybe not in someone's hands, yeah", Batgirl said, "But what about a cup or a bowl or something?"

In response, Phantom Girl disappeared into a section of the cruiser's interior, returning a few minutes later with a ceramic bowl. "I'll try getting it", she volunteered. She flew out of the ship and left them all to wait.

Seven minutes later she returned with the bowl half full of red dust. But as before, once she landed on the cruiser, the dust thinned and faded to nothing. Brainy conducted a very thorough examination of the bowl at that point, and declared it to be solid and whole, free of any cracks or holes.

"Obviously, ordinary objects cannot contain it", he concluded.

"Then the answer is obvious", Raven said, vanishing in a bust of dark energy. She returned less than a minute later in the same fashion, bearing a small black ball of telekinetic energy, within which was at least half a cup of red dust. She planted her feet rather confidently on the floor of the cruiser, and the dust did not disappear. There were sighs of relief and murmured congratulations.

"So far, so good", Bumblebee muttered. Raven shot her a questioning look.

"I'm a bit worried", the Titans East leader explained. "Persephone said on Rhea that we'd better hope the person who picked the team chose the right people. I chose the team, and I've been concerned that maybe I didn't choose right."

"Don't worry, Bumblebee", Raven told her. "Somehow I get the feeling you couldn't have got it wrong."

Bumblebee smiled.

"So _that's _what it meant!" Brainy cried, slapping his forehead in a rare display of emotion. Despite the fact that he was human now, he still tried very hard not to let his feelings get the better of him.

"That's what what meant?" Cosmic Boy asked crossly. He did not like being surprised.

"There's a passage in the scroll which says, 'The queen bee will have no task, for hers has already been completed'", Brainy said. "At first I couldn't understand what it meant, but now the meaning's obvious. Bumblebee had already completed her task before we even embarked on this trip – she chose the team!"

"What?" Bumblebee asked in disbelief.

"Brainy, have you committed that scroll to memory?" Lightning Lad deadpanned.

"You mean this whole time my part in this entire affair was already finished?" Bumblebee said.

"It would appear so." Brainy did not deign to answer Lightning Lad's question. "And your task was the first, and perhaps the most important one."

The smile on Bumblebee's face disappeared. "Wonderful", she said sarcastically. "You just had to go and put _more_ pressure on me, didn't you?"

"Would you feel more at ease if I told you that Raven is most probably right?"

"Maybe."

They said no more, but returned to the cruiser, where Raven cautiously poured the dust in her energy sphere into a shiny black container with a silver stripe down the lid. To her surprise, the dust did not disappear when it touched the container.

"Is this enchanted?" she asked.

Brainy carefully closed the container with a soft click and placed it in the box where he was keeping all the ingredients they were collecting. "No", he answered. "But I suspected that the dust would only defy our efforts to get it into the cruiser. I reasoned that once it was successfully brought in here, the spell on it would be deactivated."

"You seem to know a lot about magic", Raven observed, hiding the fact that she was pleased that someone else understood the basics of the art.

Brainy shrugged. "I have had opportunity to study it more carefully."

"Was that after Zyx came to Earth and proved that magic really existed?" Phantom Girl asked slyly as she came in.

Brainy had a pained look on his face. "All right, I admit it. I was trying to prove him wrong by researching magic to find a logical explanation for his powers", he confessed. "The search turned up a lot of interesting theories", he added.

"Why, I'm surprised, Brainy", Phantom Girl said in mock astonishment. "You actually researched magic?"

Pointedly ignoring her, Brainy asked, "Was there something you wanted, Phantom Girl?"

Phantom Girl grinned, but she stopped teasing him. "They're asking for you at the bridge. Well, actually, Cosmic Boy's demanding that you make an appearance – immediately."

Brainy sighed. "Tell Cosmic Boy I'm coming." Phantom Girl nodded and left while Brainy closed the box securely. He did _not _want anything accidentally falling out.

"What is it, Cosmic Boy?" he asked as he entered the bridge.

"There is no sense to this gibberish!" Cosmic Boy exclaimed. "Read it, Lightning Lad."

A bit sourly, Lightning Lad read, "'And when thou hast completed that task, visit the god of the sun to take the ring that lies with her.'"

"Come again?" Raven said, startled out of her normally calm demeanor. Something popped behind her, and she cringed.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos", she chanted, closing her eyes, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

"What is she doing?" Cornelia asked in bewilderment.

"Er…um…ah…meditating", Beast Boy said, thinking quickly. Then he decided it would be okay to tell them about Raven's powers. "Raven meditates everyday to keep her powers under control", he explained. "See, when she gets excited, things sort of…"

"Blow up?" Batgirl suggested, arching an eyebrow. She held up a broken plug.

"Er…yeah", Beast Boy admitted. "Also…" He broke off as a long black hand suddenly wrapped itself around his mouth.

"That's quite enough, Beast Boy", Raven warned, calm and emotionless once more. "Let's concentrate on the next clue." She turned to Lightning Lad. "Is there anything named Apollo in this time? A city, town, satellite dish, space station – anything?'

"What does that have to do with –" Lightning Lad began.

"Apollo is the name of the Greek god of the sun", Will interrupted. Cornelia stared at her in surprise.

"How did you know that?"

Will shrugged. "Batgirl told me some stories."

"And since Apollo is a he, not a she, the term obviously applies to something else", Raven added. "So is there anything named Apollo around here?"

"Oh", said Lightning Lad. "Well…" He brought his hand up to his chin, thinking. "There's a space dock called _Apollio_, and I think there's a settlement on Io called _Apollis_, but I'm not sure –"

"Don't you remember?" Triplicate Girl broke in. "The United Planets Space Department launched _Apollo LV _last year to observe Io. I think it's still in orbit keeping an eye on that settlement."

"Good thing we're not that far from it", Bouncing Boy commented as he began their ascent. He had been listening to every word from the pilot's seat. "Because we have to hurry. We don't have much time left", he added, casting a meaningful glance at the sky out the window, where the distant sun had just begun to set.

"You can't count by the sun, Bouncing Boy", Brainy told him. "We're on a different planet. It rotates differently."

"How are we supposed to know when it'll be sunset on the third day on Rhea, then?" Bouncing Boy asked exasperatedly.

"I took note of the time and position of the sun when we left Rhea." Brainy pointed to his watch. "And after taking into consideration the rotation and orbit of Rhea, the distance of the sun, the time it would take until sunset, and the number of hours since our departure…"

"Get on with it already, Brainy", Bouncing Boy groaned.

"…I have estimated that the proper time at the exact spot where we left Rhea would be…" - he consulted his watch – "…forty hours and twelve minutes from now."

"You mean, when it's forty hours twelve minutes from now on Rhea…" Batgirl said.

"At the place where we left Rhea", Brainy corrected.

"Whatever." Batgirl brushed his statement aside. "When it's sunset there, it'll be…"

"…the exact time three days later when Saturn Girl's mother finished her poem at Legion HQ on Earth", Brainy finished. "Yes, it will be."

There was a pause. Beast Boy shook his head and groaned. "All these calculations are making my head hurt", he complained.

So we really have forty hours twelve minutes to complete all our tasks?" Lightning Lad asked.

"Actually, thirty-nine hours eleven minutes", Brainy corrected, "since we have to be at Rhea one hour before sunset."

"Okay, thirty-nine hours", Lightning Lad conceded. "We actually have that much time to complete all the tasks?"

"Well, actually, if you count the time it would take us to get back to Rhea…" Brainy began.

"Say thirty hours, then!" Lightning Lad cried. "We have that much time to complete eight more tasks and get back to Rhea?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. Why didn't you just say so?" Brainy looked at him and Lightning Lad thought better of it. "Never mind", he said. "I don't want to know."

"We'll be reaching Apollo LV within the next ten minutes", Bouncing Boy called.

"So soon?" Cosmic Boy sounded surprised.

"This time of year, Io is almost directly above Jupiter's Great Red Spot", Brainy explained. "We're quite lucky that it is."

They did indeed reach the orbiting satellite eight minutes later. It was actually more like a primitive space dock. Bouncing Boy carefully parked the cruiser in one of the spaces.

"Now remember", Cosmic Boy warned as they stepped into the docking bay, "Tread carefully. There are always a few Science Police around here to keep an eye on the settlement on Io. Apollis is fairly new."

"Are these 'Science Police' likely to interfere?" Raven asked.

"Probably", Cosmic Boy admitted. "Especially since the way things sound, we're going to need to take something from here."

"Wonderful", Raven commented dryly.

They sneaked across the docking bay, avoiding the Science Police who were guarding it, until they came to a narrow passageway that led from the docking bay to the rest of the satellite station.

"Ow!" Cornelia cried as she scraped her head against the low ceiling. She rubbed her scalp. "They have seriously got to make this tunnel bigger. I've got a good mind to do it myself."

"Try bending down a little", Will suggested. "And how do you propose to control metal?"

Cornelia did not answer her.

They followed the dim tunnel until it opened out to a large, wide hall with many doors. There did not seem to be anyone there. They all stood up in relief.

"Dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he saw the number of possible routes. "Look at all the doors! Where do we begin?"

"Well, the bridge would be the most likely place, I guess", Triplicate Girl said.

"And where's that?"

"There." Phantom Girl pointed to a door at the far end of the room. "My mom drew the blueprints for this station herself", she added when she saw the questioning looks her teammates were giving her. "She's very interested in colonizing Io. She showed me the final design before they started building this thing." She looked around appraisingly. "It's not that bad, either."

"Oh, sure", Cornelia said somewhat sarcastically. "No offense to your mom or anything, but this place could be better. For starters, why don't you talk to her about enlarging that tunnel over there? Why is there even a tunnel, anyway? And this room is just too plain. It could use some decorations, you know, maybe some patterns painted on the walls…"

She continued in this strain, her voice getting louder and louder as she got more and more wrapped up in her tirade of ideas about the interior decoration of Apollo LV.

"Cornelia!" Will said, slapping her hand across her friend's mouth. "We can discuss interior designing later. Right now we've got to figure out a way to look for this 'ring' without anyone seeing us."

Beast Boy suddenly stood up. "Now look, there's no sense in all of us running into trouble, is there?" he asked.

"Not very much, no", Brainy agreed.

"What do you have in mind, Beast Boy?" Raven asked suspiciously, but there was a hint of curiosity in her voice too.

"Why don't all of you go back to the cruiser, and I'll sneak in by myself", Beast Boy suggested.

"Are you out of your mind, you green clown?" Cosmic Boy hissed. "How do you know this is your task?"

Beast Boy tapped his foot impatiently on the ground. "Who among you can get past the Science Police, look for the thingy, and get it and yourself out of here without being seen and raising a fuss?"

"I can." Phantom Girl was on the verge of teleporting away.

"But maybe your task's already been done", Beast Boy argued. "Maybe your job was to read the prophecies. And even if it wasn't, maybe we'll come across a wall or something that you'll need to phase through to get something on the other side. I think I should do this one."

"Well, if you're sure…" Phantom Girl began doubtfully.

"I am."

"Then go for it", Raven said. "Go on, before they discover we're here."

Beast Boy nodded and morphed into a fly before disappearing.

"You just had to let him do it, didn't you?" Cosmic Boy grumbled to Phantom Girl. "All right, if it's going to be this way, we'll all wait here for Beast Boy. If there's any trouble, we'll have to distract the Science Police."

"No." Raven said it very firmly.

"But –" Lightning Lad began.

"You heard Persephone, none of us can help the others in their tasks."

"Oh, all right", Cosmic Boy groused. "We'll just wait here then, shall we?"

Several tense minutes passed, filled only with the low murmur of the Science Police's observations and the steady beeping of the computer monitors from behind the doors. Then there was a tremendous crash from behind the second door on their left. The Legionnaires jumped, startled, and looked at each other in amazement.

"What did that green idiot do?" Cosmic Boy asked, a little wild around the eyes. Raven just shrugged in response, emotionless as usual, but even she was a little startled.

On the bridge of the satellite, the members of the Science Police squad that was monitoring the settlement on Io jumped up in shock. Then their training kicked in. One cadet spoke into a microphone, saying, "Code Red, Code Red" - which was clearly heard on the intercom speakers by the heroes in the entrance room - while the others milled around, marching to the source of the noise. The crime-fighting friends retreated hurriedly to their cruiser, gaining more and more speed with every moment.

"Hurry!" Bouncing Boy wheezed as he bounced on the floor. "We've got to get out of here before they have the chance to detain us."

"What about Beast Boy?" Raven asked as she flew overhead.

"We'll wait for him, but we have to prep the cruiser so that it's ready to launch immediately", Cosmic Boy answered.

"Let's just hope they don't remember to close the docking doors before we get a chance to…" Lightning Lad broke off as a voice came over the intercom ("Close all docking doors now. Close all docking doors now."). "Oh, damn!"

"Too late!" Triplicate Girl groaned.

"Run, run, run!" Batgirl cried.

"Run?" Cornelia panted. "Why can't we just fly?"

"Because, idiot", Batgirl said, gasping, "We're reaching that low passage we had to go through on our way here!"

Sure enough, the cramped tunnel, which was too low for them to fly, slowed them down considerably, and Bouncing Boy chafed with every second of the delay.

"If we're too slow, I won't be able to get the cruiser out of the docking bay!" he grumbled.

Finally, though, they reached open space again and, ignoring the commanding cries of "You there, stop!" and "Put your hands in the air!" that came from the sentries on duty, they clambered into the Legion cruiser. Bouncing Boy immediately took the controls, switching to manual mode and raising their deflector shields. He quickly lifted off –which was easy - and remained there, hovering in mid-air, but getting out of the closing docking doors was another matter altogether. And Beast Boy still hadn't shown up.

"Where _is _that green changeling?" Cosmic Boy asked as Bouncing Boy positioned the ship for escape the minute Beast Boy appeared.

Then Raven's Titan communicator beeped. "What in –" she wondered as she opened it. "Beast Boy! What –"

"I need some help over here!" Beast Boy cried on the other end. "This ring thingy is too big to get through the tunnel!"

"Where are you?" Phantom Girl asked over Raven's shoulder.

"In the big room where I left you. I'm hiding behind a door. Hurry!"

Phantom Girl vanished without another word.

"Guys!" Bouncing Boy called then. "They're shooting at us! We don't have much time!"

"I'm going to have words with the President about this", Cosmic Boy muttered darkly. "All right, go!"

"But what about Beast Boy and Phantom Girl?" Will demanded as the cruiser began to inch toward the docking doors. "And whatever it is we came here to get?"

"Phantom Girl can teleport all of them back here", Cosmic Boy answered her. "Right now we have to get out of here before those doors close!"

"Bouncing Boy, step on it!" Lightning Lad called amid shouts of "Close the doors! Close the doors! Faster, faster!"

"I'm trying!" responded the normally jovial teen from behind the pilot's seat. He skillfully maneuvered the ship into a sideway position, causing the others to grapple for balance on the sliding floor.

"The auto-compensators! Use the auto-compensators!" Brainy ordered. Meanwhile, the doors were sliding toward each other more with every passing minute.

Bouncing Boy brought his fist down on the button he never thought he would to press, and the three-year-old subsystem came online, making it easier for him to control the spacecraft. Then, putting on an extra burst of speed, Bouncing Boy piloted the cruiser out the doors and into deep space once again.

"You know", Cosmic Boy said after a while, "We should contact Legion HQ and update them on what's going on."

"Good idea", Phantom Girl agreed, suddenly reappearing with Beast Boy. She was holding a large metal hoop.

"What is that?" Lightning Lad exclaimed.

"What's it look like? It's a metal hoop."

"'…and take the ring that lies with her'", Brainy quoted.

"How do you know that's the right one?" Will asked Beast Boy.

Beast Boy shrugged. "I don't know. I just saw it hanging there, you know, and I had this feeling that it was what we were looking for. It was a whole lot harder to pull off the wall than I expected, though. I think it was soldered on or something."

"I've opened a communication channel with Legion HQ", Brainy informed them.

**_A/N: Okay, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I don't have time to talk, but I hope you enjoyed reading this._**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Whoops, I've gotta go!**


	14. Sparkles and Shine

**Chapter 14**

"Ha! Take that!" Matt exclaimed triumphantly as he zapped Caleb's character.

Caleb shook his head in defeat. "Oh, all right", he admitted. "You win." He made a face. "Not a good idea to issue a game challenge without first having actually practiced, huh?"

"Nope." Matt grinned. Just then Starfire burst into the room, hovering well above the floor.

"Oh, there you are, friends Caleb and Matt", she said.

"Starfire? What are you doing here?" Matt queried. He hoped he didn't sound too awkward. It's just that he just did not get this girl. Which was strange, considering that he'd been around aliens before – just take Caleb as an example. But there was something about Starfire that utterly confused him – like her habit of drinking mustard – who does that anyway? – and the fact that she seemed so innocent. But she was nice enough, and very friendly. He hoped he'd get used to her soon. Inwardly he wondered how long it had taken the other Titans to accustom themselves to the Tamaranian princess.

"I was sent to find you", Starfire replied, lowering herself. "Brainiac 5 has made contact."

"What?" Caleb sat bolt upright. "Where?"

"In the room of communications." Starfire grabbed the two boys and half-flew, half-dragged them out of the room. "Come! We must make with the haste. I am most anxious to hear what they have to say."

"Whoaa!" Matt cried as he bumped along the floor. "Starfire, slow down!" He was _definitely _not used to this girl.

They reached the communication room in due time. There they were – all on the huge plasma screen.

"We've completed five of the tasks already", Cosmic Boy was saying.

"Possibly six", Brainy added.

"Only?" Dream Girl sounded slightly amused – and anxious.

"You try doing this", Cosmic Boy said defensively. "It's not easy. But we do still have thirty-seven and a half hours to complete the other seven tasks."

"Thirty hours thirty-nine minutes, to be exact." Brainy couldn't seem to help himself. "If you take into account – and you should – the one hour before sunset and allow at least a six-hour period to get there."

Although Cosmic Boy looked exasperated, he let it pass.

"Is everything going well?" Batman inquired. "Considering…" he trailed off. Nobody asked him to complete his sentence. They all knew he was referring to the magnitude of the mission the team had set out on.

"Actually, things are going rather well", Raven said. "Considering."

There was a sudden explosive sound of someone swearing angrily.

"Uh-oh. We've got to go. I think Garth found another obscure set of directions. We'll call again when we've got more news." Cosmic Boy turned from the screen. "Lightning Lad, what –" And the plasma blanked.

**********

"What is it this time, Lightning Lad?" Cosmic Boy asked wearily.

"This!" Lightning Lad said angrily. "'And now beware, for this task is doubled.' What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"Lightning Lad", Brainy said, "I think that refers to the task we just completed."

"What makes you think that?" Triplicate Girl asked interestedly.

"The next line says '_Then _go to the mother planet of the solar system for the jewel of hope'", Brainy said, emphasizing the word _then_. "The order of instructions would be: 'And when thou hast completed that task, visit the god of the sun to take the ring that lies within her. And now beware, for this task is doubled. _Then_ go to the mother planet of the solar system for the jewel of hope.'"

"You _did _memorize this scroll, didn't you, Brainy?" Lightning Lad said.

"You didn't read up to that sentence, did you, Lightning Lad?" asked Cosmic Boy.

"All right, so I didn't", Lightning Lad said grumpily. "But tell me this, Cos – why am I always the one reading?"

"Because you haven't actually given any of us the scroll."

"Oh." He looked slightly discomfited. "Well, sorry about that." He held the scroll out for everyone to see. "But now everyone can see it."

"But what did it mean?" queried Batgirl. "That 'the task is doubled' thing?"

"It meant that the task would be two-fold, and it was right", Brainy replied. "It required two people to find that 'ring' and get it back to the cruiser."

"So we're half done!" Phantom Girl exclaimed.

"Yes", Brainy agreed.

"So what does the next one mean?" Batgirl asked. "The one you quoted."

"I was wondering that myself", Bumblebee said. "It's very vague, but I'm guessing Earth is where we have to go, right?"

Brainy nodded. "Yes."

"Well, then, that's where we're going!" Bouncing Boy announced, as he piloted the cruiser at top speed.

Lightning Lad was feeling rather panicky. "Earth?" he repeated. "We have to go all the way back to Earth? Brainy, that's a sixteen-hour journey!"

"What about that teleportation thingy you used when we were back in the 21st century?" Will asked.

"It isn't powerful enough to teleport an entire cruiser", Triplicate Girl explained.

"Why didn't we just travel by teleportation alone?" demanded Cornelia. "Without the ship? It would have saved tedious travel time."

"Too much energy needed", Bouncing Boy answered from the front. "The way we've been hopping around, there's no way that teleportation device could have held enough power to transport thirteen people each time we needed to go somewhere."

"Folds?" Cornelia inquired, looking at Will, who shook her head.

"Cornelia, half the places we've been I've never even heard of. Even folding to exact locations of places I knew was difficult for me at first, remember? Who knows what could happen if I started experimenting with folding to planets I didn't even know existed?"

Cornelia sighed. "Point taken."

"While we make the trip to Earth, why don't we all get some sleep?" Raven suggested.

"Good idea. I'll take the second shift", Triplicate Girl volunteered.

"The second shift for what?" Bouncing Boy wanted to know.

"Piloting the cruiser, of course", replied Triplicate Girl. "You can't possibly fly it for sixteen hours straight without getting any rest. You'd be exhausted by the time we reach Earth."

Bouncing Boy grinned at her.

"Well, we might as well wind down", Cosmic Boy said. "We've been having quite an exciting time lately, and we do need some rest."

"I can agree with that", Phantom Girl said, as she walked away to her room on the cruiser.

**********

Lightning Lad yawned and stretched. His room was dark, naturally, since they were in deep space. He felt very much refreshed after a few hours of sleep.

Then his thoughts turned to Saturn Girl. He realized that with everything that had been happening, he hadn't seen her in almost a full day. Besides, she was quite safe in the sick bay – as safe as a dead person could be.

Still, he decided to visit her anyway. So he ventured to the sick bay. He didn't meet anyone on his way there, as the bridge was over at the front of the cruiser, and the sick bay was near the back, and most of the heroes were asleep in their respective rooms.

When he reached the clear door that separated the sick bay from the rest of the cruiser, he opened it silently and went in.

There she was. His heart thudded a little at the sight of her. Saturn Girl was lying on a gurney, her eyes closed and her face pale. Her golden-blonde hair was smoothed under her back, and her arms lay on either side of her. As he approached her, Lightning Lad marveled that even though she had been technically dead for two days, her body was still whole, and it was not stiff. He expected that was the result of some sort of higher power that was keeping her body intact until sunset on Rhea on the third day – probably the same force that had inspired the mystics on that long-forgotten planet to write the prophecies.

Lightning Lad stroked Saturn Girl's hair and sighed. "It's different without you", he whispered. "Everyone's trying to hide it, but we're all worried. Especially me and Rokk. Worried that we might not make it in time."

He leaned closer to her. "I really miss you, you know", he said, even more softly. Her skin felt cold to the touch. "And…" He paused for a minute, considering. "And if you take away the thirteen and a half hours it's going to take to get us back to Rhea from Earth, and the remaining traveling time we still have left, we've only got six hours to complete the other six tasks. And what if we have to travel again?" He steadied himself by taking deep breaths for several seconds before turning back to Saturn Girl. This time, he took her still hand in his.

"Just hang in there, okay? We'll get you through this somehow. I promise."

**********

They reached New Metropolis at seven o' clock in the morning, Earth time.

"Ahh…home sweet home", Bouncing Boy said expansively as he stepped out of the cruiser.

"Speak for yourself", Cornelia told him. "My home is a thousand years away."

"No time for that", Brainy told them. "We've got to get to the Superman museum."

"Any reason why?" Bumblebee asked.

"The jewel of hope, remember?" Brainy said. "There's a diamond on display in the Superman museum that's said to have been the receptacle of all his powers at a certain time. But, although all of Superman's powers were directed at it at once, it did not shatter. Instead, it seemed to be strengthened, and some say the diamond has retained vestiges of Superman's power. It was recovered in the late twenty-sixth century by archaeologists in Arizona."

"Why was it termed 'jewel of hope'?" Will asked curiously.

"It's not exactly called that", Brainy explained as they began walking to the Superman museum (it wasn't that far away from where they had parked the cruiser – a place which was, of course, secluded) after cloaking the cruiser. "It was named Hope, because it withstood all that power without breaking. It represents the light of hope in the face of adversity."

"Wait a minute", Bumblebee interjected. "If I interpreted that passage correctly, we have to _steal _the jewel, isn't that right?"

Brainy frowned. "More like borrow", he concluded. "The next line clearly states that we are to return it when our quest is completed."

"Brainy, why don't you just say you memorized that scroll and be done with it", Lightning Lad said. "And the next line does not say that. The translation you gave me skips straight to the next task."

"On the original scroll, it does say that the jewel will be returned", Brainy told him.

"Then why the heck didn't you put that down in English?" Lightning Lad demanded.

"Let's just say there was a lot more to it than that that I am supposed to keep to myself and that won't translate anyway."

"I still don't feel comfortable with the idea of just taking a jewel and disappearing with it for a day before returning it as if nothing happened", Batgirl complained.

"Would it help if you got permission from the owner?" Brainy asked suggestively.

Batgirl stared at him blankly. "What?"

"Look at it this way", Brainy said. "The diamond became the jewel of hope because of Superman's powers. _He_ created that special gem that's on display in _his_ museum. Does that give you any idea who you should ask?" He said it all with a perfectly straight face, but his eyes twinkled in amusement – a rare occurrence.

Batgirl's jaw dropped. "You're saying…Superman…do you mean…does_ he _own the gem?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"Then there's absolutely no point in asking him", Raven declared. "You know what he'd say."

"So…I guess it's okay, then? Taking the diamond?" Beast Boy asked tentatively.

"Yes", confirmed Brainy. "But we don't want the Science Police to make a fuss, so we'll probably have to create an illusion of the diamond until we can return it." He took out a small circular contraption from his Legion belt. "I've already made a few preparations ahead of time. We can use this to create the illusion diamond until we get back."

"Won't that be rather obvious after somebody's hand goes through it?" Cornelia asked pointedly.

"Nobody ever touches the jewel of hope", Brainy said confidently.

They reached the Superman museum in due time. It wasn't open yet, so they sneaked in. It wouldn't be a good idea for all the visitors to see them take the Hope diamond, anyway. But…

"Oh, shoot!" Lightning Lad looked at the red lines that criss-crossed the path between them and the diamond. "I'd forgotten about the laser security system. One touch and it'll bring a whole squadron of Science Police down here within two minutes."

"Leave it to me, boys", Batgirl said confidently as she stepped out. She held out her hand. "Give me the illusion device." Brainy handed it to her, and she tucked it securely in her belt. She took note of the way the laser beams crossed, and began.

Batgirl bent, twisted, turned, lifted, and stretched her arms, legs, body, neck, and head as she wove in and out of the red lines. She stepped carefully over this line, and lowered herself under that one. She twisted her hand out of a tricky spot and then avoided the next beam. To everyone's relief, she managed to reach the case containing the diamond safely. Carefully picking the heavy-duty lock that held the glass together, she picked up the diamond and quickly replaced it with the illusion-creator, which Brainy had modified to blend in with the background of the case. After switching the device on, she placed the diamond in her belt, and made her way back, slowly and carefully.

When she stepped over the last beam, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"How did you do that?" Cornelia demanded.

Batgirl shrugged. "I practice. It's a useful skill – especially when you're the partner to Gotham's Dark Knight and you want to get in somewhere without attracting attention in order to catch a crook."

Then they all sneaked back out of the museum and made their way back to the alley where they had parked the cruiser. Only when they were safely within the ship did they fully relax.

"Brainy, how much time did that take?" Lightning Lad wanted to know.

"Forty-two minutes", was the slightly muffled reply.

"What's next?" asked Will.

"Uh, okay, let's see…" Lightning Lad groped for the scroll in the place where he had put it. He looked up, an expression of panic coming onto his face. "Guys, it isn't here!"

"What do you mean it isn't here?" Cosmic Boy demanded. "It was just there!"

"Well, it's not here anymore!" Lightning Lad shot back, annoyed.

"I cannot believe you lost it!"

"I did not lose it, I just don't know where it is!"

"Garth, that's the definition of 'lost'."

"It could have disappeared."

"How?"

"Well…it's a deity object, isn't it? Maybe there're some strange, mysterious rules concerning them."

"That's just silly."

"How would you know?"

"Ahem", a voice interrupted. It was Brainy. He looked half-annoyed, half-amused. "It doesn't matter if we've lost it", he told them. "I still have the original, and I can make another translation. _Or _I could just tell you what comes next, since I have, as Lightning Lad has pointed out, memorized it."

There was a rather awkward pause.

"All right, so what's the next line?" Raven said, glowering at Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy, who had the grace to look ashamed of themselves.

"'Thrice this is done, yet by one only. A vial of superior water touched by three, but at the same time by one person only'", Brainy quoted.

"Three but one?" Phantom Girl inquired. "Sounds a lot like someone I know." She winked at Triplicate Girl who grinned.

"That part's easy, but what's with the 'superior water' thing?" Bouncing Boy asked. "What water is superior to all others?"

"Dude! Even I know that!" Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"You do?" Cornelia asked disbelievingly.

"Well, duh! The answer's obvious. We have to go to Lake Superior!" he announced triumphantly.

"Not so superior anymore", Cosmic Boy told him. "It's shrunk a bit."

"But it's still named 'Superior', isn't it?" Beast Boy argued. "And how much water do we actually need, anyway?" he asked pointedly.

Cosmic Boy couldn't argue with that. "Fine", he sighed, surrendering. "Bouncing Boy…"

"We'll be at Lake Superior in about 30 minutes", Bouncing Boy answered promptly."

Half an hour later, the cruiser landed next to the sparkling water of Lake Superior.

"Wait a minute", Bumblebee said as they stepped out. "Do we even _have _a vial?"

"Yes, we do." Triplicate Girl pulled a clear glass vial from her belt.

"What was _that _doing there?" Phantom Girl wanted to know.

Triplicate Girl shrugged. "I found it on the road one day. It was practically shining in the sunlight. I keep it for luck. Also, it's pretty."

She split, and her three bodies held on to the vial as they knelt and dipped the tiny bottle into the lake. Then, as one, they rose. Something happened then. As the Trips held it up to the bright morning sunlight, the water seemed to shimmer and gleam in the golden light, as the triangle symbols on the Legionnaires' chests glowed. The three triangles - one purple, one orange, one white – seemed to project themselves, shimmering translucently in the air as they moved toward the little bottle. For a moment, the trio formed a pyramid around the vial, blocking it from view, before falling away into nothingness as the now-golden water shone through the glass. Then the light disappeared as the sun moved behind the clouds, and everything returned to normal, but the water in the tiny glass vial remained the color of molten gold.

Beast Boy, of course, was the first to break the somewhat awed silence. "Dude, that water's probably worth a fortune now."

**_A/N: Ta-dah! Precious things they took, eh? Don't worry, the gem will be returned. The Legionnaires aren't crooks. So, anyway, there's nothing for me to explain, since this chapter was pretty straightforward. I will mention that it can be such a painful bother to calculate the approximate time of each task, and the traveling time, and everything to get a solid number. It's tiring! Anyways, I've also noticed a shortage in reviews lately. I know you guys are reading it, because I checked my story traffic. Come on, people! It'd be nice to know you like it (even if you don't a review with constructive criticism would be helpful). It can be pretty discouraging to see no comments, you know. How would you feel if it were you?_**

**Disclaimer: I'm pouting from the lack of reviews. I think I would get a whole lot more reviews if I made this into a movie, but I can't since I don't own the characters...**


	15. Two Tasks

**Chapter 15**

"Say _WHAT_?!" Cyborg burst out indignantly in the technology room of Legion HQ. He huddled protectively over the car – an almost exact replica of the T-car the Titans had in the 21st century – he had just finished making. "Are you seriously, honestly, genuinely telling me that this beauty – this lovely, shiny, beautiful piece of technology – _is_ _not good enough for the 31__st__ century_?!!?"

"Cyborg", Star Boy said with a sigh, "I'm sorry, but it just isn't up to date. I don't mean to be condescending, and I'm sure it would be marvelous in your century, but in this time we have other vehicles that are better, faster, and more powerful."

There was a clatter as the tools Cyborg had been holding crashed to the floor. Grumbling and muttering under his breath, he glared so fiercely at Star Boy until the Legionnaire began to feel quite alarmed, and then gave up.

"Oh, all right", he groused grudgingly. "The 31st century way outstrips the 21st in terms of technology. Can you teach me some things?" he asked.

"Oh no, not me." Star Boy put his hands up. "I don't have a clue how all the technology is made, I just run the things. You want any information on the manufacturing, ask Brainy."

"But that little green-skinned know-it-all isn't here!" Cyborg almost wailed. He desperately wanted to learn some new tricks with mechanics. He couldn't stand the thought of a piece of technology he couldn't build. Not to mention the fact that he was _supposed _to be the best mechanic in the 21st century, and his trip through time provided the perfect opportunity to surprise some bad guys with his high-tech gadgets – if only he could get somebody to teach the darn principles to him!

"Try Shrinking Violet", Star Boy advised. "She's almost as good at it as Brainy."

Cyborg tried very hard not to show his irritation. Shrinking Violet? That short, shy girl who could shrink even shorter and snorted when she laughed? He seriously doubted she knew anything about mechanics. But these Legion folk had surprised him too many times already, and Violet would probably surprise him again. Sighing, he went off to find her, mournfully concluding that the days when he had been the top mechanic were obviously over.

**********

"Okay, that's eight tasks done. Who's left?" Beast Boy asked as he looked around.

"I haven't done anything yet", Will said.

"Nor have I", Cosmic Boy added.

"I don't think I've done anything that qualifies as a task", Lightning Lad put in.

"Me neither", chimed in Bouncing Boy.

Brainy looked at the four. "Four people…two tasks", he mused.

"What are you talking about, Brainy?" Bouncing Boy asked him.

"The scroll only mentions two other tasks before telling us to return to Rhea, but there are four of us left. I'm trying to figure out what that means."

"You do that, Brainy. But before you do, can you tell us the next line, so we can get where we have to go while you're thinking?" Cosmic Boy said.

"'Now prove your mettle, as argent touched with waves is delivered into your hands'", Brainy recited automatically, still thinking about the four/two issue.

"'…is delivered into your hands'?" Beast Boy repeated. "Cool; are we finally going to be _given _something? Ouch!" he cried as Raven whacked him on the head and said in a low monotone, "_Nothing _comes for free."

"I doubt it's that simple, Beast Boy", Batgirl said. "That's probably in a figurative sense. Nothing so far has been actually _given _to us without some sort of work."

"Mettle…argent…waves…hmmm…" Cosmic Boy ruminated as he paced the floor of the cruiser. "Metal…silver…waves…Silver metal…waves?" He snapped his fingers. "Magnetic waves!"

"What?" Lightning Lad asked, confused.

"Magnetic waves", Cosmic Boy repeated. "Silver touched by magnetic waves!"

"That would be your job", Lightning Lad said.

"Exactly! Now we just have to find out where we can get a block of silver that we can keep."

"The New Metropolis junkyard?" Triplicate Girl offered. "I'm sure there're little pieces of silver everywhere. With your powers, you could get all the silver and meld them into one piece."

"Excellent idea, Triplicate Girl", Cosmic Boy agreed. "Bouncing Boy, we're going back to New Metropolis – and this time we're visiting the local junkyard."

"Oh, wonderful", Cornelia commented dryly. "The junkyard: another icky, smelly, disgusting place full of broken objects and gross leftovers."

"Not so, my 21st century friend", Bouncing Boy said as he set the autopilot. "In the 31st century, we have clean junkyards where people dump all the unwanted garbage – after it's been run through the Clean-o-meter 5000, which gets rid of all the gross icky stuff you mentioned. The junk that actually ends up in the dumpsite is squeaky clean, so as to cut down on pollution. The trash is cleaned out once a week and sent to recycling centers – or incinerators."

"The Clean-o-meter 5000?" Cornelia remarked disbelievingly.

"We had to call it something." Bouncing Boy shrugged. "But the junkyard isn't the dirty place it used to be."

"If it's cleaned out once a week, how can there possibly be enough silver?" Batgirl asked.

"Lots of things people throw away have bits of silver lying in them", Phantom Girl explained. "Silver plating, silver trimming, or maybe silver was used in the manufacturing process. Normally there's too little silver for it to be extracted. But with Cosmic Boy's powers…"

"You don't have to bloat up his ego even more, Phantom Girl", said Lightning Lad. Cosmic Boy looked offended.

They arrived at the New Metropolis junkyard in about half an hour. Parking, however, was a different matter.

"Just land in the junkyard", Bumblebee said.

"I can't", Bouncing Boy responded. "It's near clean-out day; the yard's packed. Besides, it's a legal offense."

"So land near it", Batgirl suggested.

"And announce to all of New Metropolis that the Legion of Superheroes is rummaging about in a junkyard. That would be absolutely perfect for our image, wouldn't it?" Lightning Lad said sarcastically. "We have enough trouble getting them to accept us as ordinary citizens who help out by putting the bad guys in jail, instead of as freaks who need to be disbanded and possibly shut behind bars."

"Hardly ordinary, though, that", put in Cosmic Boy.

"So what?" Cornelia said. "You have that invisibility thingy, don't you?"

"Stealth mode", Bouncing Boy corrected. "Yeah. But it wouldn't work. Stealth mode doesn't make the ship intangible. People can still feel it and bump into it, and that'll really bring the Science Police hot on our heels. And a lot of people come to this area."

"Do we really have to stay hidden?" Will asked. "I mean, why not land in Legion HQ and fly here?"

"No time. The others would bog us down with questions, and we've only got four hours more before we have to leave for Rhea. I hope to goodness we don't have to travel for the last task, or at least not over a long distance." Cosmic Boy did indeed look rather anxious.

Meanwhile, the parking problem still wasn't solving itself. People were throwing out suggestions and others were shooting them down.

"Park it in the same place as we did just now?"

"And get spotted while flying here by the entire city? Give me a break."

"Land quietly in Legion HQ on stealth mode?"

"We do have ways of detecting intruders, you know. The rest of the Legion would likely attack us."

"Land on the junk in the junkyard?"

"And have the cruiser possibly crash down when Cosmic Boy extracts the silver."

"Oh, for Azarath's sake!" cried Raven finally. A neo-plasma bar installed in the ceiling shattered, causing the rest of them to jump in surprise. "Just hover over the stupid junkyard on stealth mode and drop Cosmic Boy off! We're wasting time here."

"Raven's right", said Triplicate Girl. "This is silly. We'll just drop Cosmic Boy off and let him do his job, then we'll continue."

"Well, finally!" cried Bouncing Boy. "A good idea at last." He maneuvered the ship directly over the junkyard. "Okay, Cosmic Boy, you can go. Let us know when you're done."

Cosmic Boy nodded and pressed the button that opened the door of the cruiser. He flew out, being careful not to be seen, and landed in the middle of the junkyard. From their vantage point up above, the other heroes watched as Cosmic Boy raised his arms and several metal things were surrounded in what seemed to be purple plasma. Bits of shiny metal with purple auras flew to the space above Cosmic Boy's hands and a solid silver shape slowly began to take shape. More and more silver joined the main piece and melded with it, until there was a fairly-sized silver ball that sparkled in the sun.

Cosmic Boy signaled to them and Bouncing Boy opened the door. Once Cosmic Boy was safely inside Triplicate Girl closed the door, and Bouncing Boy moved the cruiser higher, where there was less chance of it being discovered by some passing air-vehicle.

Cosmic Boy mopped his brow. "Whew", he said. "That was a workout." He held up the silver sphere. It was about the size of a tennis ball and perfectly smooth and round. "But I got it." The satisfaction in his voice was evident. Lightning Lad rolled his eyes.

"So what's next?" asked Cosmic Boy, drawing attention away from the ball of silver in his hand. He looked around. "Where's Brainy?"

"I'm right here, Cosmic Boy", Brainy called from the doorway that led to the lab of the cruiser.

"Oh, there you are", Cosmic Boy said. "What's the last task?"

"'Deep in the jungles of the South lies the Arch of Sapa Inca. Although it has lain empty and hollow for generations, it is now time to fill the void with human flesh'", Brainy quoted.

"'Human flesh'?" repeated Beast Boy. "Dude, that's creepy."

Bouncing Boy frowned, not paying any attention to Beast Boy. "It's going to be close", he said. "Brainy, please tell me you're absolutely certain that we're supposed to return to Rhea after this task", he called to the green person.

"That's what the original scroll said", Brainy confirmed. "But I still don't understand. Persephone said there would be a task for each of us, but it seems two people were left out. Why?"

"Maybe you shouldn't think so much", Raven advised. "Sometimes things are better left alone, but they will reveal themselves to you in their own time."

Brainy looked at her very carefully. "Are you sure you're not related to any Coluans?" he asked her.

"Pretty sure", Raven replied in a perfectly neutral voice.

"What's going to be close, Bouncy?" Triplicate Girl was asking Bouncing Boy.

"The timing", he answered. "It's going to take at least three hours to reach Machu Picchu, even at top speed, and keep in mind Peru is a bit further from Rhea than New Metropolis."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Cosmic Boy demanded. "Step on it!"

**********

Ruby was sitting in the dark, blank interrogation room, waiting for someone to come and question her. She snorted in derision. Question? Ha! They could interrogate her all they wanted, she wasn't saying a thing. Not one single, solitary thing! They could beg her on bended knee for answers but they wouldn't get anything but silence. Stupid Legion! After all she had planned, after all her hard work, after all her scheming, they had come and ruined it all, and they expected her to answer their questions? Ruby grated her teeth in frustration. She had been so close! So close…and then that stupid, dumb, sickeningly noble moron of a Titanian had spoiled it all.

Saturn Girl.

The very thought of the telepath made her want to leap up and scream with frustration. How dare she offer herself up as a prisoner and then cause an explosion? How dare she?! Although, Ruby admitted, she had never said anything about not doing something. But still!

_Wherever she is,_ thought Ruby with a vengeance, _I hope she's lying cold and dead for all eternity, that traitorous little –_

Ruby's thought was cut off by the door opening. Curious in spite of herself, Ruby peered through the darkness (why in the name of all the galaxies did they have to switch off all the darned lights?) to see who had been sent to interrogate her. In the extremely dim light that came from the closed window of translucent glass she could just make out two pointed tips.

Batman. So they had sent the Dark Knight of Gotham City to question her. _I wonder how he'd react if I told him Gotham is no more, _she thought maliciously.

Batman made his way toward her slowly, making no sound, not even as he seated himself on the chair that was waiting for him on the opposite side of the table that was in the room. When he sat down, Ruby could just see the outline of his face in the almost non-existent light. She wondered if he had arranged it that way.

Ruby had to admit that she was slightly apprehensive about Batman. He filled her with a fear she did not feel with any of the others. She had never been able to discover much about him. The dark and mysterious hero of 21st-century Gotham was an unknown, and Ruby did not like being ignorant and unaware. Even in the 31st century, his name was not known to the public.

Batman sat there for what seemed like ages, not saying anything. _For goodness' sake, did he come here only to keep silent? _Ruby wondered. She wanted to scream.

"Who are you?"

The question surprised her, not so much because it was cryptic, but because it had come out of nowhere, suddenly breaking the still silence in that quiet voice that still sounded so ominous.

"You know who I am", Ruby replied, keeping her voice calm and even. She could be just as cryptic as he could.

"No, I don't."

"And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"I know your name. Nothing else. And a name doesn't make a person."

Ruby almost felt like laughing out loud. Was he really this much of a fool?

"You've seen what I can do", she said coolly. "And you know what I want."

"World domination", answered the deep, low voice. "But who are you really?"

All right. If he wanted to play, she could play too.

"My name is Ruby Rose Roland, I grew up on Earth but was born elsewhere, I have magic-based energy powers, I have a special connection with rubies, my favorite color is red, and I like power." She leaned back against her chair and smiled, although it was hidden in the dark.

"That's a start", came the voice of Batman. "Now, Ruby, why exactly did you pick your captives? What was it about them that made you take them, and them alone?"

"Well, for starters, their powers. They each had a certain ability I wanted, so I…" Here she caught herself, and her eyes narrowed dangerously, even though Batman couldn't see them – or maybe he could, she didn't know. "Oh ho, very clever, Batman", she said. "Very clever indeed."

"And how exactly did you trap them?" continued Batman as if he hadn't heard Ruby's last comment.

Ruby harrumphed. Did this idiot really think she was going to let him trick her again? They were at the part where she wasn't going to give anyone any answers.

Batman seemed to sigh. "I see", he said, almost regretfully. "You've decided to be difficult."

Ruby was expecting him to do anything…anything but what he actually did. Batman didn't raise his voice or bang on the table, he didn't reach over and shake her; he didn't even force her to tell the truth with a brainwashing device. Instead, he simply stood up and walked out, closing the door with a click behind him.

_Is this some kind of joke?_ Ruby wondered as she was left alone in the darkness. She hadn't moved from her chair. Was Batman watching her from the one-way mirror she knew was installed in the interrogation room she was sitting in? Arghh, this was so frustrating!

She ran her statements and answers through her head. Perhaps she had said something that Batman wanted to know. But upon reflection, she had kept her words well guarded, and except for that one time…

Wait a minute. Batman already _knew _how she had kidnapped her captives. So the purpose of _that _particular question was redundant. And Batman wasn't redundant. Which meant that he had to have thrown out that question in an effort to confuse her as to what they wanted. And it had worked!

Ruby groaned and banged her forehead on the table. _Idiot! _she thought. _You gave them exactly what they wanted. The only thing they didn't know was _why _you took who you took. And you told them!_

"Stupid, _stupid_…" Ruby muttered, so annoyed with herself that she didn't object when Robin and Sun Boy came to take her back to her cell.

**********

The three hours fifteen minutes it took until they landed near Machu Picchu gave them all a sense of urgency. Bouncing Boy told them it would take fourteen hours to get back to Rhea. That meant, once they landed, they only had fifteen to twenty minutes to finish the last task.

"I'd like to know one thing, Bouncing Boy", Lightning Lad said as they stepped out of the cruiser. "How did you know we're supposed to come to Machu Picchu?"

Bouncing Boy shot him a look as close to amusement as his tense and anxious expression would allow. "Don't you ever read the diginews?" he asked, referring to the 31st-century newspaper, a flat holopad device that stored all the news and displayed it on digital screens when operated. "They discovered an archway in a hidden section of Machu Picchu about eighteen months ago. The Incan glyphs inscribed in it were translated to 'the Arch of Sapa Inca'."

"Well, that was straightforward enough", Will noted. "But I don't like the sound of 'filling it with human flesh.' It gives me the creeps – like we're going to have to perform the ancient Incan rite of sacrifice or something."

"Less talk, more walk", Batgirl told her.

They spread out and searched the area for the next five minutes. By the end of that time, Cosmic Boy, as usual, was complaining.

"You remember the news about _when _they discovered the arch but you forget exactly _where _it is!" he almost shouted into his ring. "How do you _read _the diginews?"

"I just forgot, all right?" Bouncing Boy's hologram replied sourly. "It was eighteen months ago, for crying out loud."

"Stop this pointless bickering and come here. I've found it." Cosmic Boy yelped as the large raven-shaped form appeared from the ground.

"Could you _please_ not do that?" he asked irritably.

The black raven ignored him and disappeared. Grumbling, Cosmic Boy rose into the air to find Raven.

**_A/N: So sorry for the late update, I've been busy the past week. Anyways, I'm still noticing a shortage of reviews. It's a simple matter to click on that button and write a few words. I'd like to find out how I'm doing, you know. Wouldn't you?_**

**Disclaimer: I really wish I owned even one of these heroes. Unfortunately, I'm just a teen with an overactive imagination.**


	16. The End Begins

**Chapter 16**

The Arch of Sapa Inca was a large, stone hoop on top of its pedestal, the remnant of the block of stone that it had been carved out of. Several steps had been cut into the stone, leading up to the pedestal. At the top of the arch there were several ancient Incan glyphs inscribed. The entire structure was cracked and weathered with age.

Beast Boy stared at the eroding arch. "This is it?" he said.

"It may not look like much, but hundreds of years ago it was probably one of the most majestic constructions in the Incan Empire", Phantom Girl told him.

"'Fill it with human flesh'", Cornelia quoted. "How do we do that?"

"Hmm…" Bouncing Boy looked at the stone arch thoughtfully. "It's not small enough for all of us to fill it, so…"

He walked calmly over to the pedestal and then slowly expanded until his ball-shape filled the arch. The moment his form touched all sides of the circle, there was a grating noise from somewhere beneath them, as an ancient mechanism sprang to life, and the earth trembled slightly, causing them to move away.

Then, on the very first step before the pedestal, a stone block seemed to fall away, and a sort of stone bowl on a wooden platform rose out from the gap.

Bouncing Boy started to deflate, and immediately the bowl started sinking back into the step.

"Bouncing Boy, stop!" cried Lightning Lad. "Inflate again, inflate!"

So Bouncing Boy inflated himself again, carefully re-positioning himself, and the bowl rose once more.

Brainy stepped cautiously toward the stair. He put his hand into the bowl and withdrew a shining, polished golden stone – just in time too, as the rotting wood of the platform crashed back into the hollow stair almost before he had taken the stone out.

Bouncing Boy deflated and checked his watch anxiously. "Okay, good, last task done…we're running late…guys, we've got to get back to the cruiser quick! We're already two minutes behind."

This caused a scramble as everyone rushed to get back to the cruiser, Brainy being careful not to drop the golden stone.

"How could that mechanism still work after fifteen hundred years?" Will wondered as they flew back.

"The Incans were highly advanced for their time", Brainy informed her. "It's possible they discovered a method to preserve stone and wood. They even managed to hide the entire arch for close to one thousand five hundred years."

"Guys, we really need to get back to the cruiser…NOW!" Bouncing Boy said, a panicked note in his voice.

"Is it that late?" Batgirl asked.

"Yes. We have to hurry, or there won't be enough time."

Not another word was said. They flew as fast as they could and reached the cruiser in due time. Once there, Bouncing Boy immediately made his way to the pilot's seat and began the lift-off, calling for Triplicate Girl's help so they'd be able to reach Rhea in time, while everybody else prayed that they would be able to make it.

**********

Cyborg finished attaching the combustion engine to the necessary wires. "Boo yeah!" he exclaimed as he mopped his forehead.

"See?" Shrinking Violet said from behind him as she switched the engine on. "When you connect that section of the combustion engine with the this bit of the cooling system, they cancel each other out, leaving more energy to run the car. But they still work just as well, since you only connect certain parts."

"Ohhhh, I get it", said Cyborg. He rubbed his hands in glee. "Once I make some changes to the T-car, there won't be a villain around who can keep up."

Shrinking Violet snorted as she laughed.

**********

"No, no, no!" cried Starfire. She grabbed the stirring spoon from Taranee's hand. "You must stir it in this manner, otherwise the zorkaberry paste will not set correctly."

Taranee peered into the heated pan they were mixing Starfire's Tamaranian recipe in, where a thick, gooey, purplish-pink concoction was bubbling.

"This is looking less and less appetizing", she muttered.

"What was that, friend Taranee?" Starfire inquired politely. "I am afraid I did not hear you properly."

"Er…I said…this looks…good…ah…um…heh." Taranee flashed her a fake smile, but Starfire didn't seem to notice it was feigned. She flew over to the Fire Guardian and enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Starfire", Taranee wheezed. "Can't…breathe…"

"Oh, I am sorry, friend Taranee", said Starfire apologetically, immediately releasing her crushing grip. "It is just that you are the first person who has found my cooking satisfactory." She beamed.

Taranee gulped. _What have I gotten myself into?_

**********

"Oi! Get back here!" yelled Aqualad as he chased after Speedy. He waved a small brown paper bag in his hand as he ran. "Squid sticks? You bought squid sticks?! I thought we agreed _no more seafood_!!"

"This is a thousand years after the promise, Aqualad", Speedy called over his shoulder. "I didn't think it was still valid. Besides, it smelled so good!"

"So? What would you say if I ate _your_ friends?"

"You can't eat my friends, because my friends are all people!"

"You come back here!" cried Aqualad as he flung the paper bag away. "If you ate so much as one tentacle…"

**********

Rhea was waiting for them when they landed, along with Persephone. Her face was impassive, but she was tapping her foot.

"You are late", she said coolly. Despite Bouncing Boy and Triplicate Girl's best efforts, they had still arrived two minutes after the appointed time.

"Yes, we know", Bouncing Boy said as he stepped down. "But we came as fast as we could."

Persephone looked toward the sun, which was still fairly high in the sky, then back at the group of hopeful, expectant heroes before her. "We will uphold our end of the bargain, Legion, but if our efforts should fail, know that it was because we did not have enough time."

"Does two minutes really make that much of a difference?" Beast Boy asked tentatively. He gulped as Rhea turned her icy gaze on him. "Ah…forget I said anything."

"Lay her here", Persephone ordered. Lightning Lad gently placed Saturn Girl on the ground, directly in the light of the sun. "Bring me the ingredients." Brainy held out the box to her. Then the Queen of the Underworld looked at Lightning Lad.

"Son of Winath, are you ready?"

The question startled him. Lightning Lad stared at her. "Ready for what?" he asked uncertainly.

"Your task. You doubtless wondered why the tasks of two people were not described on the scroll. That was my intent. This is your task, Son of Winath. What you must do is enter the Daughter of Titan's mind and persuade her to return while Rhea and I brew the potion."

"You want me to go…inside her head?" Lightning Lad turned to look at Saturn Girl.

"Yes, I do", said Persephone. "Only the support of one who loves her will give the Daughter of Titan the strength to pull herself from the entrance to my husband's kingdom. So I ask you again: are you ready?"

Lightning Lad gulped, but he squared his shoulders. "Yeah", he said. "Yeah, I'm ready."

**********

_It pulled her again, stronger this time. Saturn Girl could feel it. Only a few yards in front of her lay the gate to Hades' kingdom – the entrance to the Underworld. _

I need to stay here, _thought Saturn Girl, _but I'm so…so tired…I can't… _She drifted closer to the gate, almost a whole foot. She tried to hold herself back, but the pull was too strong. She felt herself getting closer – the gate was only five feet away now. _

Stop, _she told herself, but she couldn't, She kept moving ever closer, unwillingly, helplessly…_

_Then suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her arm (how long had it been since she had felt something warm in this cold, cold place?), and she suddenly stopped moving._

_She mustered the strength to turn and look. No, it couldn't be…how could he be here? He couldn't be here…not here…_

_But he was. Lightning Lad was standing behind her - well, in front of her now – holding her back from the gate._

_"Garth", she whispered. "Garth, what are you doing here? Why are you here? You couldn't…you're not…" She looked at him fearfully._

_"No, I'm not", he assured her. "Persephone sent me. I'm here to help you. We're going to get you out of here."_

_"Out…of here?" Saturn Girl could hardly believe it. She swayed slightly, and Lightning Lad immediately put his free hand out to support her._

_"Take it easy", he told her. "There's still almost an hour more to go. You need your strength."_

_"Garth…" she murmured. "I…it's pulling me…and it's so strong. I don't know…if I can…"_

_He moved quickly to head that off. Still making sure he was exerting his strength to pull her back, he said, "Yes, you can. You're strong…stronger than it. You can do this. I know you can." He brushed a stray lock of hair gently away from her face._

_Saturn Girl relaxed into his grasp, but then it came again, even stronger now– and this time – this time there was pain._

_**********_

"The dust, please", Persephone said politely but commandingly.

Without a word, Raven encased the dust in her black energy, just in case, and lowered it into Persephone's open palm.

Persephone calmly closed her hand, negating Raven's black sphere, and sprinkled the red dust of Jupiter's Great Red Spot over the golden water from Triplicate Girl's vial – which was already bubbling in the small silver pot (Persephone had made Cosmic Boy form the silver ball into a bowl instead - "Why did you choose to shape it into a sphere?") over the fire, around which was the large metal hoop from _Apollo LV_.

The dust tinged the golden water with the slightest hint of red, but the metallic yellow color was still the dominant hue.

"Who has the Incan stone?" asked Persephone.

Brainy silently handed the golden rock to her. Persephone held it up in the light of the sun at such an angle that the shining golden rays fell upon the potion. She stayed in that position for several minutes, then she laid the stone aside.

"Why are you all so quiet?" she asked them. Cosmic Boy felt annoyed, and he wasn't the only one. Two of their teammates were in the entrance to the Underworld, and the Queen of said Underworld asks them why they were so quiet? Several of their eyes wandered to where Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl were lying, a little way away, under Rhea's watchful eye.

Persephone saw where they were looking. "You need not worry about the Winathian", she told them. "He is in no danger for now. He is alive and healthy, so he will not feel the pull of my husband's realm. But the Daughter of Titan is another matter." She checked the sun. "Hand me the flower of snow, please."

**********

_Lightning Lad held Saturn Girl close as she rode out the bout. He could not feel the pull of Hades' kingdom, but she obviously could. And for some reason, now she was experiencing pain if she did not follow. She was already a few inches closer to the gate than she had been when he had arrived._

_"Garth", Saturn Girl whispered once it had passed, "If…if I go into the Underworld…"_

_"Don't!" he said. "Don't say it. You won't go to Hades."_

_She clenched her teeth as it pulled her again. When the pain had subsided she continued, "But if…if I do…promise me…promise me you won't try to follow. Promise me."_

_"Imra…" Lightning Lad began._

_"Please", she pleaded. "Please don't try to follow me. I need you to promise me that. Please, Garth."_

_Lightning Lad looked sadly into her pleading eyes. What else could he say? He doubted he'd be able to follow her, anyway. "I promise", he said. He pulled her even more tightly toward him as she slid another few inches._

_**********_

The tiny white flower from the crater on Rhea's moon dissolved like snow in the bubbling mixture, blending white streaks into the reddish-tinged gold. Persephone held up the Incan stone again, angling it to catch the rays of the sun and channeling it into the small silver pot. The solution inside became an even brighter gold, but the red and white streaks were still visible. They swirled around in the pot, moving fluidly even though the golden liquid was still.

Persephone waited a few moments before looking at the sun. Squinting slightly, she seemed to calculate how much time was left before turning to Rhea. "Your turn", she said simply.

Rhea rose and walked over to the fire. When she was directly in front of the pot she raised her arms and called out something. To the watching heroes it seemed as though she was calling on the power of her moon…or something like that.

There appeared to be silvery green streaks coming from all over the moon to Rhea's arms. Rhea lifted one arm up higher and pointed the other one downward toward the pot, making herself a channel for the moon's energy. She remained that way for a few minutes, calling on the inner reserves of the core of her home before dropping her arms.

The heroes peered cautiously into the pot. As they suspected, there were now silver and green streaks along with the red and white ones.

**********

_Saturn Girl gasped as another wave of pain hit her. She fervently hoped that it would all be over soon. Even a final appointment with Hades was better than this pain. It hurt too much! She was strong, but not that strong._

_Beside her, Lightning Lad was holding her protectively, but despite his firm grip she still felt herself sliding…the gate was only three feet away now…if this kept on Lightning Lad wouldn't be able to follow her._

_"Imra", he said, and for the first time a note of anxiety entered his voice. "Imra…it's just a little while more, okay? Just hang in there for just a while more. We'll get you away from here, I promise. Just hang on for a bit."_

_Saturn Girl wanted to nod, she wanted to believe him, but as much as she tried to banish them, doubts crept into her head. _What if he's wrong? What if you can't hold on, what if it's meant to be? What if, what if…

_She uttered a little cry as the pain came again._

**********

"Please tell me this is gonna work, please tell me this is gonna work, pleasetellmethisisgonnawork", muttered Beast Boy.

"Shut up!" Raven hissed as she hit him on the head.

"Would you _quit _that?" Beast Boy said irritably. "I need something to take my mind off what's going on."

"Taking your mind off what's happening isn't the best idea at the moment."

"_Will _you two keep quiet?" Batgirl asked in annoyance.

Not far away from them Rhea was holding up the Hope diamond they had taken from the Superman museum. The jewel was sparkling and shimmering in the last rays of sunlight. Its tip at the bottom was channeling dazzling crystal light toward the exact center of the silver pot. As the gem dangled there, the hoop they had taken from _Apollo LV _began to glow around the pot, shining whiter and brighter with each passing second. And everyone held their breath as the sun began to slowly disappear below the horizon.

"Brainy, how long?" Cosmic Boy asked, his eyes on the setting sun and trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

"Two minutes."

**********

"_Garth!" Saturn Girl cried as the exceptionally strong pull drew her further away from him…and closer to the gate. Only two feet between her and that gate now…_

"_Imra!" Lightning Lad called out. He was still holding her hand, but she was slipping…_

I am _not _letting her go, _he thought fiercely, as he tried to pull her back to him. It was then that he discovered he couldn't. Once she moved, she could only either stay there or move even closer. Panicking slightly, he tried to guess how long more it would be_. It shouldn't be more than five minutes more, _he thought._

_Lightning Lad walked closer to Saturn Girl, making sure he never let go of her hand. She was too exhausted by now to fight against the Underworld's pull on her own. He saw her eyes widen in – what was it? Fear?_

"_Garth, no", she whispered in a panicky voice. "Don't come any closer! You're not supposed to be here! You can't come here!"_

"_What are you talking about, Imra?" He stayed where he was, all the same – about halfway between where he had been and where she was._

_Saturn Girl trembled slightly. There it was again! That irresistible pull…and the excruciating pain! She bit her lip as she tried not to cry out. It would only worry Lightning Lad more, and he couldn't come here!_

"_Imra?" Lightning Lad asked uncertainly._

"_There's a certain barrier…" she began haltingly. She breathed deeply for a while before continuing. "There's a barrier…near the gate…it won't…people who aren't…aren't supposed to be here…can't cross it…or else…"_

"_But I can't see anything." Lightning Lad was growing more and more anxious. Had she crossed the barrier already?_

"_It's still there…you won't be able to tell if you're crossing it…I felt it…as I…passed through…you can't come…any closer…"_

_Hearing this, he tightened his grip on her hand._

_She couldn't resist that pull…she had to go…it was too strong…far too strong…and she hurt…she hurt badly…all over…but he was still holding her! He couldn't keep holding her…he couldn't…_

"_Garth", she managed to say through the pain, "Garth, let me go."_

**_A/N: Dun-dun-dun! We're nearing the end now. Those of you who are labouring under the impression that this will have a happy ending, keep an open mind. It might not. Anyways, do review. Oh, yeah - Persephone calling Lightning Lad "Son of Winath" has nothing to do with any great prophetic title. In this plot, the gods and goddesses call anyone who's a native of a planet the "son" or "daughter" of that planet. In Saturn Girl's case, she's not just any "daughter of Titan", she's _the _"Daughter of Titan." Oh, and if you think the story's getting too mushy or anything, sorry. I'm a sucker for romance. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it - although you might be a little lost if you skip. _**

**Disclaimer: Oh, I wish.**


	17. Nearly

**Chapter 17**

It was nearly over. Only the tiniest sliver of sun was visible over the horizon, and it was almost dark. But Rhea and Persephone were still watching the sun set, and doing nothing…

Rhea lifted her face toward the sun, that impassive, composed face. "Persephone…" she said, and her voice was calm, "We cannot delay any longer. It is still not enough to make up for the lost time, but we must hope. If we don't act now, everything is lost." And for the first time, the emotionless face of Rhea, the mother of the Greek gods, betrayed anxiety.

Persephone sighed sorrowfully, a sound that struck fear in the hearts of the watching heroes. Surely there must be a very real chance of failure for the Queen of the Underworld to sigh like that.

"Very well", she said. She turned to Will. "Keeper of the Heart, now it is time for your task. Your part in this quest was described at the very beginning of your journey, though you may not have known it then. Do you now?"

Will looked torn; she knew very well what she had to do. The answer was clear now.

"'And if you surrender the heart of a world, then again shall walk the girl'", Persephone quoted softly.

**********

_It was nearly over. Saturn Girl knew it, she could feel it. There was only one foot between her and the gate, and she was sliding fast. Her hand was still being held fast by Lightning Lad, but her fingers were slipping, one by one, out of his grasp. And he still wasn't letting go. He had to let go! _Please, Garth, please, let go!

_But he didn't. Instead, his face set, he began walking toward her._

_"No!" The shock of his action had caused her to stop straining against that overwhelming force. Almost immediately she was pulled another three inches. Struggling to regain her balance, she pleaded desperately with Lightning Lad. The pain was almost constant now, but it was nearly over…almost. She just had to make sure he wouldn't follow her before she could let herself go._

_"Garth, don't, please don't", she pleaded, using every last ounce of strength she had to stay where she was._

_"I can't lose you again", he told her._

_"And I can't let you throw away your life to follow me", she countered. "Please, stay away, Garth. Let me go. Please!"_

_He hesitated a moment, then he stubbornly shook his head and deliberately took another step forward._

_"Garth, no!" What could she do? If she had her powers…wait…her powers…_

_She didn't know if she could. She was so very tired. But she had to try. She had to._

**********

"The Heart?" Cornelia looked from Will to Persephone, then back to Will. "You have to give her the Heart? Will, you can't!"

Will didn't reply.

"Will?"

Still no answer.

"Will, the Heart is your responsibility!" Cornelia cried. "You can't give it up!"

"I don't know!" Will burst out finally. "I don't know. What if…I'm supposed to?"

"You can't seriously be thinking…"

"I don't know, Cornelia!" Will exploded. "I don't know! I know the Oracle entrusted the Heart to me, but…But what if I don't give it up? What will happen to Saturn Girl?"

Cornelia bit her lip and was silent for a while. "I…I don't know, Will", she admitted. "I can't decide this for you. You have to do this yourself."

"Not to put pressure on you or anything", Phantom Girl said, looking strained, "But we've got less than a minute."

"We can't force you to do it", added Cosmic Boy, though his eyes were pleading.

Will put her hands to her ears. "Can you all please just be quiet?" she snapped, pressure making her feel worried, anxious, and irritable. Oh, how she hated being the one who carried the responsibility of the very last choice!

Will blew her hair away from her forehead. _What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? _She knew perfectly well everyone was waiting for her decision…the problem was, she didn't know what that would be. And the sun was almost completely gone.

**********

_It was terrible – and so utterly draining. She almost couldn't do it. But she had managed – only just – to create a tiny force field that was just enough to make Lightning Lad let go. The minute his hand was no longer holding hers she started sliding at an alarming rate toward the gate. She no longer had the strength or the will to resist. She collapsed on the ground, drained, weak, and dizzy._

_She could hear him calling her name – if only just barely. "Imra!" his voice came, over and over. She knew he wanted to run after her, to pull her back, or at least make her stop drifting toward the Underworld. But he couldn't. She'd reach the gate before he could reach her._

_Only seven inches to go before she was forever, irrevocably within the boundaries of Hades' kingdom. Six inches…five…she lost count as she let her eyes close and darkness enveloped her as her world plunged into black._

**********

"Will! The sun's almost gone! Hurry!"

"Will, make the choice! Quick!"

"Will!"

"Will!"

"Will." It was the first time Persephone had ever called any one of them by name. "You must choose…now!"

Will cast a quick glance at the almost non-existent sun. In a matter of seconds, Rhea's moon would be plunged into darkness, and their last chance of bringing Saturn Girl back would be gone. It was now or never.

"Kandrakar forgive me", Will murmured as she moved with deliberateness. In one quick move, she reached toward her neck, grasped the chain from which the Heart of Kandrakar dangled, lifted it over her head, and offered it to Persephone.

The Queen of the Underworld accepted the glowing pink crystal and dangled it over Saturn Girl, directly above her heart but still in the light of the final rays of the sunset. She began chanting and singing a strange, sorrowful song that still held the air of suspense and eeriness in an ancient language that might very well have been as old as time.

Rhea joined in, adding her voice to Persephone's as she took the silver pot off the fire with her bare hands, unconcerned about how hot it was, and held it below the Heart of Kandrakar. The golden mixture with its red, white, green, and silver streaks began to whistle loudly as it swirled around in its silver prison and bubbled more fervently than ever, while the Heart shone and twirled madly on its chain.

As the very last rays of the sun disappeared, the golden liquid rose from the pot under the light of the Heart (which was already penetrating Saturn Girl's heart – the light, not the Heart itself) and swirled about in the air a few times before flowing into Saturn Girl's body and vanishing, leaving the pot to fall on the ground, empty.

**********

_Lightning Lad could do nothing but watch as Saturn Girl, unconscious, drifted further and further away from him. It tore at his heart that he was losing her – again. He thought he could almost feel the same force that was pulling Saturn Girl away, but not quite. Saturn Girl had stopped him before he had crossed that invisible barrier._

_Now he felt himself becoming lighter; he looked at his hands – they were fading. This could only mean one thing: he was leaving the Underworld and returning to his own body._

_"No!" he cried. He couldn't leave her, he didn't want to leave her. It wasn't right – or fair. While she was being dragged ever closer toward Hades, he was rejoining the world she had left – the world of life, the life that would seem meaningless to him without her._

_Tears blurred his vision as the cold, dark room dissolved around him, and with it, the girl he loved with all of his heart._

**********

Lightning Lad groaned as he sat up. Beneath him, the ground was cold and hard. It took a moment for him to realize where he was, but one glance at Saturn Girl's body beside him brought the memories flooding back.

"Garth!" Cosmic Boy exclaimed as he helped his friend up. "You're back! Are you all right? What happened?"

Lightning Lad only shook his head in sorrow as moisture welled up in his eyes. He said nothing; he simply looked at Saturn Girl, she who was lying so still and silent.

Cosmic Boy turned his head in the direction of Lightning Lad's gaze. It all clicked into place, but he didn't want to admit it. "You mean…she…she didn't…?" His eyes were looking at Lightning Lad desperately. _Please say she isn't where I think she is, please say she's not…_

"She's…gone", Lightning Lad said softly, sadly. His normally electric blue eyes seemed to have changed to a duller, darker hue. "She…she passed through the gate." Then the tears came; they flowed freely now.

"No…" Triplicate Girl cried softly against Bouncing Boy.

"Why?" Batgirl asked of the sky. "This shouldn't have happened."

"None of this should have happened…if it weren't for Ruby…" Bumblebee trailed off.

"What's done is done", said Brainy in a flat, emotionless voice. His pose was neutral and composed. Only his eyes betrayed his grief; they were sad and sorrowful. "Perhaps this was meant to be."

"How could she…after all we…it was all for nothing?" Beast Boy asked desolately. "How could it all have been for nothing?" he wailed.

"I…don't know." Raven, for once, looked extremely sorrowful. Surprisingly, though, nothing broke, shattered, or blew up. It seemed Rhea had taken precautions.

"It can't have been for nothing", said Phantom Girl. "It just can't have been. In a fair world, hard work and sacrifice is rewarded with something…not nothing."

"Wake up, princess", Cornelia said bitterly, keenly feeling the loss of Saturn Girl for a second time. "The world isn't fair."

"Sometimes it is", Persephone said softly from beside Saturn Girl.

"What do you mean?" Will asked disconsolately.

"Look", said Rhea gently, which was rather out of character for her.

They all looked to where she was pointing. Though the sun had retreated below the horizon well before, Saturn Girl's chest was…moving?

Yes! Saturn Girl was breathing! Slowly at first, but the pace gradually quickened until she was taking in normal breaths. Then, ever so slowly, her eyelids fluttered for several moments before finally flickering open…and the deep pink of her eyes was visible once more.

"Saturn Girl…" murmured Lightning Lad. "Imra…"

She smiled at him – a small, wan smile, but still a smile. "Garth", she whispered back, her voice barely loud enough to be heard. She let her eyes rove around, taking in the faces of everyone – their incredulous expressions, their joyful eyes, their dried-up tears – before finally returning to the face she held most dear, the one that was right in front of her.

"I'm home", she whispered, before falling into a gentle sleep.

**_A/N: Yes, I decided to go with the happy ending. How could I not? It's not over yet, though, there's one more chapter to go! Watch out for it - it'll be the last - and the least serious, with perhaps the exception of Chapter 12. Some things will be explained, some will be left alone for you to infer your own conclusions. But you'd better read it first before you ask what, hadn't you?_**

**Disclaimer: You know, as much as I'd love to, sadly I don't. **


	18. Goodbye

**Chapter 18**

"Beast Boy!" yelled Cyborg. "Where are my engine parts? Tell me you did not wreck those parts!"

Beast Boy popped his green face into Cyborg's temporary room at Legion HQ.

"I didn't touch those things, man!" he shouted back, seemingly oblivious that the volume of his voice was not really necessary.

"Well, they're not here anymore!"

"Dude! Just because I take things like _Xtreme Street Racing 6 _and the TV remote doesn't mean I take _everything _of yours that goes missing!"

"Then you tell me who else would mess with these parts?"

"Cham would", Caleb said, walking in.

"Cham?" Cyborg asked incredulously. "Chameleon Boy? He wouldn't dare!"

"He would. If he would dare to sneak Timber Wolf's cookies out of the jar after being specifically told not to – by Timber Wolf himself, no less – he would definitely dare to hide your engine parts." Caleb grinned.

"I'm going to kill that little orange-skinned Durlan!" Cyborg declared vehemently.

"Don't be too hard on him Cyborg", Beast Boy said, laughing. "He probably wanted to delay our trip."

"And you're next!" Cyborg said, wiping the smirk of Beast Boy's face.

"But I didn't do anything!"

"So tell me who hung my cable wires above the door to fall down on me when I walked in?"

"Ah…that wasn't me…that was…that was…" Beast Boy gulped. "Oh, boy." He started running.

"Change of plan, grass stain!" called Cyborg as he rushed after the shape-shifter. "I'll kill you first, then I'll go after Cham!"

"Help!" Beast Boy cried to Raven as he passed the chair where she was sitting, reading a book. He started circling around her in an attempt to avoid Cyborg.

Raven looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Of all the thirty over people in this building, you're asking _me _for help? Go find someone else who sympathizes with you, because I certainly don't."

"Ahhhh!" cried Beast Boy as he shot down the hallway.

**********

"Hay Lin!" Taranee cried exasperatedly. "Hurry up! I don't want to spend the entire day here. We've got things to do before we leave."

"Er…ah…don't worry!" came Hay Lin's muffled reply from behind the pile of clothes she was carrying. "You go on without me. I'll catch up. The wind will tell me where you are."

"I'm going to give you two minutes to stuff everything into your bag, and after that I'm dragging you down whether you like it or not", declared Taranee. "Starting now. One…"

"Stop counting! It just puts even more pressure on me, and I can't do anything if I'm under pressure!"

"…five…" continued Taranee, oblivious.

"Arghh!" cried a very flustered Hay Lin as she stuffed everything into her bag, higgledy-piggledy.

**********

The red and white blur shot through Legion HQ so fast it was as if they had never even passed.

"Twins!" yelled Speedy. "Get back here! I want that arrow back!"

"_Usted tendrá que agarrarnos primero_", cried Mas.

"_Es decir si usted puede_", added Menos.

"I know what you're doing!' Speedy called as he ran. "You're trying to delay us so we don't leave!"

"_Bien, qué sabe usted?_" said Menos."_Él lo consiguió!_"

"_Sí, quién habría sabido?_" agreed Mas.

"You two are so going to get it when I catch up to you!" Speedy looked around for something to throw. Picking up a pillow, he hurled it toward the twins with excellent aim born of years of shooting arrows.

"_Cuidado! Almohada en ocho o ' reloj!_" cried Mas.

The pillow struck true, separating the twins' hands and negating their super-speed. Speedy, panting, ran up to them with a satisfied smirk and plucked his arrow from Menos' hand.

"You two are in big trouble", he said to them.

**********

"Knock, knock", said Lightning Lad as he rapped on Saturn Girl's door.

"Come in!" called the voice from inside.

"How're you feeling?" Lightning Lad asked as he stepped in.

Saturn Girl smiled at him from her seat on her bed. "You've asked me that question everyday for two weeks and the answer hasn't changed. I'm fine."

"Just checking." He plopped down beside her.

She was quiet for a while before saying, "They're all getting ready, then?"

"Pretty much", he replied. He grinned. "Although some people are employing delaying tactics."

Saturn Girl chuckled. "Figures." She was silent for another few minutes. "Garth", she said presently.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"For what?" He looked confused.

"For saving me. I couldn't have made it through without you."

"Hey", he said, taking her hand in his. "Don't mention it. I would have followed you through that gate if you hadn't stopped me."

She smiled gently at him, and he returned it, while thinking how good it was to see her lovely smile once more. He shuddered as he recalled how close he had come to never seeing that smile again. Then he pushed the thought away. He did not ever want to think about that again.

Instead, he leaned forward and gently kissed her.

**********

Starfire moped around the living room with an unhappy expression on her face. She plopped herself on one of the sofas and came very close to pouting.

"What's the matter, Star?" Robin asked her as he entered the room. Instead of rising from the chair with a delighted squeal and squeezing him, as he expected, she remained sitting.

"I do not wish to leave", she replied discontentedly.

"I know, Star", said Robin as he seated himself beside her. "But we have to go. Who's going to look after Jump City if we don't?"

Starfire sighed.

"Besides", Robin continued, "We'll still be able to keep in touch with everyone – except the Legion."

Starfire sighed again.

"Come on, Star. It won't be so bad. We can visit from time to time – if they trust us with a time-bubble device. Just look at it this way. The Legion has it much harder. Everyone except them is from the 21st century, and we're all going back."

"Robin", said Starfire at last, "Are goodbyes always this hard?"

Robin smiled. "Most of them."

**********

"I guess I'll be seeing you, Trip", Bumblebee said to the Legionnaire.

"Don't say that", Triplicate Girl said. "We've still got the rest of the day."

"But how many opportunities am I going to have to say goodbye in person?" Bumblebee asked.

"Point taken", Triplicate Girl conceded. She looked furtively around before pulling what seemed to be an elaborate time-bubble device out of her belt.

"Here, take this", she told the Titans East leader in a conspiratorial whisper. Bumblebee accepted the apparatus, and only just then noticed the Legion's _L _logo on one side of it.

"It's a time bubble device connected to a communicator", Triplicate Girl continued. "I'm not really supposed to give it to you, but…" She shrugged. "Saturn Girl wouldn't mind. I've set the frequency and the time era of the Legion's communication line. If you connect it to your communication system, the time-bubble device will send your sound waves and image over the time-space continuum. We'll be able to communicate that way." She winked. "Who knows? There might be a time when it may come in handy."

**********

The Legion, Titans, W.I.T.C.H., Batman, and Batgirl enjoyed a day of games, fun, and good time. They chatted amongst themselves, spent time with each other, toured New Metropolis in groups, gave each other souvenirs and little trinkets for memories, teased each other, laughed together, and enjoyed each other's company. All in all, they had a general all-round holiday and a well-deserved break from saving the world. New Metropolis seemed to agree with them, as there were no burglaries, muggings, break-outs, or trouble-making for that day. The heroes all enjoyed themselves immensely.

And then night came, and with it, the need for goodbyes. There were hugs, handshakes, and pats all around, and even a few tears from the more emotional ones. And then it was time for those from the 21st century to return to their own era.

"We'll miss you guys", Robin said to the Legion. "Thanks for everything."

"Thank _you _for helping us", Saturn Girl said. "And for helping me."

"It was no problem", Cornelia said. "You deserved it, and anyway, we all wanted you back."

"I'll really miss you guys", Superman said as he hugged Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, and Brainiac 5 all at once.

"We'll keep in touch", Will promised Batgirl.

"You'd better", said Batgirl. "If you don't, _I'll_ call you everyday."

"I'll be seeing you, Robin", said Batman, putting a hand on his once-protégé's shoulder.

"It was good seeing you again, Batman", Robin said sincerely.

"Bye, Violet", Irma said, hugging her short friend.

"It's been an honor working with you", Aqualad said to Lightning Lad.

"The feeling's mutual", returned the Winathian, shaking Aqualad's hand.

"We might visit sometimes", Bumblebee warned.

"With what?" Cosmic Boy looked puzzled…then realization dawned on him. "Who gave you – never mind. I don't want to know. You'll be welcome here." He grinned and winked at her.

"I will miss you all, friends", said Starfire with actual tears glistening in her eyes. "And the wonders of the 31st century."

"We'll miss you too, Starfire", said Phantom Girl, while Timber Wolf nodded to Caleb.

At last the goodbyes were over. With an expression on his face that looked suspiciously like sadness, Brainy operated the time-bubble device that he had modified to send everyone to their own time and place.

"First stop", he announced, "Gotham City."

Batman nodded and stepped forward while Batgirl extricated herself from her circle of friends. Just in front of the vortex, Batgirl turned and smiled at all her new friends, and Batman turned too, with a hint of a smile playing about his lips. Then the duo stepped into swirling purple vortex and disappeared.

Brainy pressed more buttons. "Steel City", he said.

Bumblebee nodded and collected her team. She practically had to drag a teary-eyed pair of Spanish twins toward the vortex.

"Come on, you guys, it's time to go home."

"_No quiero ir!_" exclaimed Mas.

"_Queremos quedarnos aquí!_" added Menos.

"Come on, twins", Bumblebee coaxed. She gently led them to the vortex with Speedy and Aqualad. "We'll be seeing you", she said to the other assembled there.

"Yeah, see you", agreed Speedy as Aqualad nodded and the twins bobbed their heads fervently with tears still streaming from their eyes. Then they too, stepped into the portal and vanished.

Brainy fumbled with another sequence. "Now approaching Heatherfield", he stated.

"Come on, you guys", Will said to the other Guardians.

"We had a great time", Taranee said, mentally adding in her head, _Well, except for the time Starfire made me eat some of her zorkaberry paste. I'm never helping her cook again._

"Keep in touch", Robin told them. "You still have the communicator I gave you, right?"

Taranee nodded. "Yeah, it's with me."

"Bye, you guys", said Irma softly.

"Yeah, see you", put in Cornelia, and Hay Lin smiled wistfully.

When the Guardians faded from view, the five remaining Titans and the rest of the Legion faced each other.

"I guess this is goodbye." Robin held out his hand to Cosmic Boy, who shook it.

"We will miss you all", said Starfire, as her eyes filled with even more tears.

"It's been nice knowing you", Beast Boy said to Chameleon Boy.

"See you again someday?" asked Cham.

"Definitely."

"Bye, Violet", said Cyborg. "Thanks for showing me some cool new tricks."

"No problem", replied Shrinking Violet as she waved.

"I really enjoyed my time here", Raven said.

"We were glad to have you", Dream Girl responded.

"Jump City", announced Brainy quietly.

"You take care now", Bouncing Boy called.

"You can be sure of that." Beast Boy smiled.

"Goodbye, Titans", said Saturn Girl. "And thank you once again."

The Titans stepped up to the portal. "Bye all!" called Cyborg, while Starfire and Beast Boy waved. Then he turned, as did the rest of the Titans, and headed for home.

Brainy closed the vortex without another word, and all was quiet.

_**A/N: And......the end. This story is finished, but the tale is not complete yet. Oh, no. Far from it. Yes, the prequel mentioned in the introduction (Chapter 1) - **_**One Year Before **_**- has now been posted. And when the prequel's finished, the sequel will come along. But for now, I must say goodbye, and I hope you all enjoyed my story! If you have any questions about the period of time between Saturn Girl's revival and this chapter - about anything, really - feel free to drop me a line in your reviews. Thanks for reading!**_

**Disclaimer: For the last time on this story, **_**I do not own anything**_**.**


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